Ethical Principles in Health Care (EPiHC), a global community of healthcare providers committed to building more transparent, resilient health systems, recentlyachieved a new milestone by welcoming its 200th signatory.
Developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in collaboration with the World Bank, EPiHC is a set of 10 concise, pragmatic and universally applicable values designed to be shared across the healthcare ecosystem, from front-line providers to top leadership.
The principles, launched in 2019 with input from health experts, aim to help formalize values and shape the behavior of healthcare providers, improving performance and risk management in the process. When implemented, these principles strengthen trust between providers and their stakeholders—a trust that is essential to effectively deliver the best possible care to the greatest number of patients.
Together EPiHC’s signatories now own or manage nearly 6,000 healthcare facilities in over 90 countries.
“EPiHC has quadrupled in size in little more than a year, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to contribute to this incredibly challenging era in the delivery of healthcare,” said Zeynep Kantur, IFC Global Sector Manager for Health & Education. “This is a clear sign of the global healthcare community’s ever-increasing commitment to the ethical delivery of patient care.”
EPiHC is a no-fee, collective-action initiative. Its signatories—private healthcare providers, payors, investors and their respective associations—commit to the principles and decide how their organization will implement them. The principles can help organizations navigate complex situations, improve decision making, and provide a forum for stakeholders to discuss common challenges and solutions.
As EPiHC’s membership grows, so does its value as a community in which its signatories can network and learn from one another, sharing knowledge, experience, and best practices as they forge partnerships in pursuit of their common goals.
As more providers and organizations involved in health care delivery adopt EPiHC, the initiative will have a positive impact on the whole of the health care system, guiding and influencing decision-making in a way that promotes quality, affordable care for all.
For more information on EPiHC and how to enroll as a signatory, visit epihc.org.