Hill-Rom Global Code of Conduct

I. Customers & Patients
Every interaction we have with health care providers,
patients, payers, and other customers is an opportunity
to demonstrate our commitment to enhancing patient
and caregiver outcomes. For more than 80 years, we
have nurtured our longstanding relationships with a
broad range of customers. Thousands of hospitals and
other health care providers depend on Hill-Rom to
help them deliver safe, efficient, and effective health
care. We must work to build and maintain the trust
and positive relationships we have established with
our customers.
Hill-Rom Global Code of Conduct 14
November 2011
Creating High Quality, Innovative Products
We all must work to provide products that are safe and effective
for their intended uses. We must:
• Design, validate, test, and evaluate our products to meet current
industry standards and maximize patient safety and outcomes;
• Manufacture and service our products in compliance with our
standard operating procedures and never cut corners;
• Meet all regulatory requirements concerning product safety
and labeling;
• Ensure that our suppliers meet our supplier requirements; and
• Raise quality and safety issues immediately.
Reporting Potential Product Problems
We also must be vigilant for problems with our products in the field.
We may learn of quality or safety issues relating to our products in
many different ways — through conversations with customers or
suppliers, telephone calls, emails, blogs, chat rooms, letters, faxes,
and even in conversations with neighbors. No matter the source,
we must report this information promptly.
When you receive information from any source that our products
may not be functioning properly or that they may be unsafe, you
must report that information within 24 hours to the Technical
Services Hotline for your local country.
Accurate and Truthful Communications
We market and sell our products solely based on their
efficacy, quality, safety, and price. All information provided
to our customers and patients about our products and
services, including availability and delivery of our products,
must be truthful, balanced, and supported by data and
relevant experience. All materials that are created for
use in marketing and selling our products must be
reviewed and approved by Regulatory Affairs and the
Legal Department.
Q:
Rose is preparing a shipment
of stretchers for delivery
when she notices that several
side rails are not latching correctly.
The latch mechanism seems to be
made out of a different material than
what she’s seen before. She knows
that patient safety is a big concern,
but she is also aware that this order
is late and the customer is unhappy
that it has not yet been delivered.
Should she speak up?
A:
Yes. Rose should report
the situation immediately
to her manager, another
member of management and/or the
Quality Control Department. Meeting
a delivery schedule is never an excuse
for allowing a product that may not
be working correctly to be shipped
to a customer. This could put patients
at risk and damage the reputation
of our company and our customers.
Hill-Rom Global Code of Conduct 15