Business Practices

Houston Methodist is committed to building and maintaining a culture of integrity and ethics consistent with its I CARE values. The purpose of the Business Practices program is to demonstrate the commitment of Houston Methodist to the highest standards of ethics and compliance with the law.

Business Practices vision: All actions taken in the name of Houston Methodist are consistent with strong moral values, high ethical standards, and the law.

Our Business Practices department fosters a culture of compliance throughout the organization through the following actions:

  • Supports management and non-management with guidance on compliance issues
  • Policy, protocol and procedure development to address system-wide business practices issues, drafting and working with others to edit and to adopt
  • Provides education and awareness on relevant compliance topics
  • Proactively monitors and assesses potential risk areas
  • Maintains the Business Practices EthicsLine and facilitates prompt investigation of all reports

Detecting and Preventing Fraud and Abuse

In accordance with the requirements of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Houston Methodist maintains written policies for its employees, contractors and agents on the federal False Claims Act and Texas false claims laws. Houston Methodist is committed to detecting and preventing fraud and abuse and has developed policies and procedures on proper billing and documentation to comply with state and federal laws and regulations.

Non-Retaliation Policy

If a situation arises that may violate the law or may not be the right thing, you should report it. Houston Methodist is committed to promptly investigating all reports. Houston Methodist employees who report any action believed to violate the law in good faith are protected from retaliation by Houston Methodist policy and by federal and state laws.

Vendor and Contractor Resources

Houston Methodist provides training on health care compliance topics to its vendors and contractors, as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Living Methodist Values Vendors and Contractors Handbook, as well as the training developed by CMS are available below.

Medicare Parts C and D General Compliance Training (view PDF here)
Combatting Medicare Parts C and D Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (view PDF here)