HCA among World’s Most Ethical Comps

The Ethisphere Institute announced its fourth annual selection of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, recognizing the managing partner in metro Denver’s largest healthcare company, HCA-HealthONE® LLC, as one of the 100 organizations nationwide that lead the way in promoting ethical business standards. These companies are featured for going beyond legal minimums, introducing innovative ideas benefiting the public and forcing their competitors to follow suit.

“The competition for the World’s Most Ethical Companies was the strongest it has ever been, with a record number of organizations vying for this distinguished honor,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute. “This year’s group recognizes the important role ethics play in brand reputation, which ultimately is the most valuable asset for a corporation. There is a strong correlation between a company’s ethics program and its performance, with ethical companies outperforming the market both in terms of upside performance as well as in avoidance of catastrophic investor loss. This proves that having a commitment to ethics is a competitive advantage and is imperative to business.”

Ethisphere began identifying the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2007. Thirty-six companies on this year’s list have the distinction of earning this honor all four years, including General Electric, Starbucks, American Express, Google, Nike, Time Warner and PepsiCo.

Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) has 163 hospitals and 112 outpatient centers throughout 20 states and England; including Denver-based HealthONE. HCA is one of more than two dozen first-time recipients this year.

“Each year, HealthONE awards an employee for trusted care in clinical ethics with the Stephanie Allen Award, which recognizes the recipient’s attention to principled resource and education, conflict resolution and community leadership within ethically challenging cases,” said Judy Hatch, Vice President of Ethics and Compliance of HealthONE and HCA Continental Division. “With the honor of ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies,’ it is gratifying to celebrate not just one employee a year, but to recognize the collection of all our employees for their moral work.”

The 2010 World’s Most Ethical Companies have outperformed the S&P 500 by delivering a 53 percent return to shareholders since 2005—compared to the S&P’s four percent shareholder loss over the same period. In addition to improving a company’s bottom line, a strong ethics program has shown to lead to increased consumer loyalty, regulatory leniency in the event of a transgression and stronger employee retention rates.

Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World’s Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

“We appreciate the recognition from Ethisphere. Thousands of HCA employees work every day to help our patients, and they do it with diligence, compassion, and integrity,” said HCA Chairman and CEO Richard M. Bracken.  “These individuals have helped us to build an organizational culture that encourages high ethics. We are proud of all of them.”

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2010 World’s Most Ethical Companies at www.ethisphere.com/wme-2010. The World’s Most Ethical Companies will also be featured in the Q1 issue of the quarterly magazine Ethisphere, which will be released March 29.

HealthONE is the largest healthcare system in the metro Denver area with 9,000 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians. Named Colorado's "Best Company for Working Families (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), the health system was created in 1995 as a 50/50 joint venture between non-profit The Colorado Health Foundation (formerly HealthONE Alliance), Colorado’s second largest charitable foundation, and various affiliates of HCA. 

HealthONE includes: The Medical Center of Aurora and Centennial Medical Plaza; North Suburban Medical Center; Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children; Rose Medical Center; Sky Ridge Medical Center; Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital; Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Southwest ER; 13 ambulatory surgical centers; more than 30 occupational medicine/rehabilitation, Broncos Sports Medicine, specialty, and outpatient diagnostic imaging clinics; and AirLife, which provides critical care air and ground transportation for an eight-state region.

About Ethisphere Institute
The research-based Ethisphere Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. The Institute’s associated membership group, the Ethisphere Council, is a forum for business ethics that includes over 200 leading corporations, universities and institutions. The Ethisphere Council is dedicated to the development and advancement of individuals on its membership council through increased efficiency, innovation, tools, mentoring, advice, and unique career opportunities.