Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the National Center for Ethics in Health Care?
Where is the Ethics Center located?
Does the Ethics Center handle allegations of unethical practice?
Can I request a consultation from the Ethics Center?
What educational programs does the Ethics Center offer?

What is the National Center for Ethics in Health Care?
The National Center for Ethics in Health Care (Ethics Center) is VHA’s primary office for addressing the complex ethical issues that arise in patient care, health care management, and research. Our mission is to clarify and promote ethical health care practices throughout VHA and nationwide. Guided by the premise that ethical health care practice is an essential component of health care quality, we serve as a resource center for VHA leaders and staff on issues in clinical, organizational, and research ethics.

Where is the Ethics Center located?
The Ethics Center’s main office is located at VA Central Office in Washington, DC, with satellite offices in Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.

What services does the Ethics Center offer?
The Ethics Center:

• provides ethics consultation to VHA leaders & ethics committees
• develops measurement tools to evaluate ethical aspects of health care quality
• develops & analyzes policy relating to health care ethics
• produces reports on ethical issues through the National Ethics Committee
• publishes regular newsletters & other communications.

Does the Ethics Center handle allegations of unethical practice?
No. The Ethics Center does not deal with matters of fraud, abuse, negligence, or other questions about compliance with specific regulations or medical malpractice. Such matters are handled by:

• Office of Compliance and Business Integrity (business ethics)
• Program in Research Integrity Development and Education (research ethics)
• Office of Research Oversight (research ethics)
• Office of the General Counsel (government ethics).

Can I request a consultation from the Ethics Center?
The Ethics Center provides consultation for ethics committees, VISN and facility leaders, and others when issues cannot be resolved at the local level.Field staff should seek consultation first from local experts. Every VA medical center has an ethics consultation service. Your facility’s administration can tell you how to contact your local program.

What educational programs does the Ethics Center offer?
The Ethics Centers holds monthly National Ethics Teleconferences and offers a variety of other resources . The Ethics Center also participates in a variety of national and regional educational programs, and conducts specialized face-to-face training at the request of network leaders.

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