Mission and Values Statements

The SHCA Mission and Values Statements assist SHCA members in determining ethically appropriate professional conduct. Ethics demand that healthcare patient and consumer advocates, who advocate in the name of our hospital’s patients, act with complete fidelity to the institution and respect the valid rights of others.

Mission

The mission of the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy is to lead the advancement of healthcare consumer advocacy by supporting the role of professionals who represent and advocate for consumers across the healthcare continuum. SHCA achieves its mission by:

Providing its members with education, information, and networking opportunities.
Serving as a resource for consumers, payers, the community, and other healthcare professions on issues such as:
- patient education
- patients' rights
- ethics
- patient satisfaction/measurement
- complaint management
- customer service

Values

We advocate for healthcare consumers in order to improve the healthcare experience of those we serve: patients, families, and other individuals. For these individuals, we believe:

in respect for their right to control their health care decisions
that their dignity shall never be compromised
that caring and compassion are important as technology
that education and information are vital to informed healthcare decision- making.

As members of the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy, we believe:

that values and ethics are the foundation of our professional practice
in the value of collaboration with other healthcare professionals
that taking action to create change in the healthcare system is our responsibility
that education and information are critical to our professional development

Code of Ethics

The Members of the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy of the American Hospital Association are committed to conducting their professional relationships in accordance with the following principles...Click here to download the Code of Ethics.