Code of Ethics
Commitment to ethical professional conduct is expected of every HL7 participant, including members, non-members, and employees or contractors of HL7 or its management organization.
Participants are expected to endorse and uphold the following precepts:
- Only HL7 business will be conducted at HL7 meetings. No recruiting, commercial or marketing pitches, presentations or distributed materials will be shared except by permission of HL7 management or as provided under the event sponsorship agreement. Private, non-public meetings or functions should not be conducted during HL7 meetings and event times.
- All HL7 participants shall comply with the applicable laws and regulations applying to non-profit organizations, the HL7 Bylaws and Governance Operations Manual adopted by the Executive Committee and the membership, as well as applicable trademark and copyright laws and the HL7 Anti-Trust Policy.
- HL7 participants will promote, acknowledge, and support proper and authorized use of HL7 trademarks. By the same token, HL7 participants will not support or condone improper or unauthorized use of the standard.
- HL7 participants who contribute knowledge capital to further the development of the standard agree to conform to the HL7 IP Policy. At the same time, members will respect known, existing confidentiality agreements where applicable.
- HL7 participants will not participate in marketing activities for other organizations or collaborations while representing HL7 at industry conferences or meetings involving other standards development organizations.
- HL7 participants will not endorse or disparage any member's products or services or participate in activities which give the appearance of conflict of interest between HL7 and the member's organization while representing or participating with HL7.
- HL7 participants will not misrepresent use of the HL7 standard in their products, services or organization or in others.
To maintain the community and global trust, all agents acting on behalf of HL7 (including the HL7 Board, Executive Committee, Staff, contract personnel, and elected leaders) shall follow the tenets as described by the HL7 Code of Ethics. This includes but is not limited to:
- Prohibition on acceptance of gifts of value. No HL7 agent shall accept a gift that would compromise the integrity or objectivity of carrying out their HL7 duties. Moreover, acceptance of a gift which could convey the appearance of impropriety is also prohibited. The HL7 Treasurer shall determine the financial equivalency of a "gift of value" to be ratified by the Board no less than annually.
- Recusal for apparent conflicts of interest. No HL7 agent shall be involved in the oversight or decision-making related to any interest in which they have personal or financial stake, or where a reasonable person would come to the conclusion that there is an apparent conflict of interest. HL7 agents are expected to declare the interest in good faith and recuse. At the presiding Chair’s discretion, recusal may mean removal from the discussion or the room if those are determined to be in the best interest of the Body. Note that while the majority of conflicts-of-interest are financially based, that is not the exclusive criteria for determining a Conflict.
- Restriction on Special Privileges. Members of HL7 Leadership (to include the Executive Committee, HL7 Board, and other executive leadership) shall not receive special privileges bestowed by the organization beyond what is considered usual and customary accommodations.
Any such exception in accommodations shall be published and publicly available, reviewed annually by the HL7 Treasurer, and available for comment by the general membership. The Treasurer shall consider and adjudicate comments, adjusting in accordance with HL7 policies and guidelines, proposing revisions as necessary. - Staff and Contract Compensation and Bonus Remediation. All compensation associated with HL7 shall be documented in contractual and/or employment agreements and available to personnel with responsibility for oversight/management of the organization, to include HL7 Executive Leadership, the HL7 Executive Committee, and the HL7 Board and designees. NO additional compensation, bonuses, or "perks" shall be remitted that are not documented in the above.