MetroHealth Named as One of the 2020 World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere

The MetroHealth System, a hospital system based in Cleveland doing pioneering work in regard to community transformation and the social determinants of health, has been recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies. 

This is the first time MetroHealth has been recognized and is one of only five honorees in the health care provider industry. In 2020, 132 honorees were recognized spanning 21 countries and 51 industries.

“It is an honor to be selected as one of the world’s most ethical companies,” said Dr. Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of The MetroHealth System. “This is a testament and commitment of our board of trustees to hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards. Our clinicians, management and staff come to work every day with a passion for making our community healthier, more just and a better place to live for everyone. And we do it in the most ethical way.”

“Earning recognition on the World’s Most Ethical Company list is an extraordinary achievement that involves the collective effort of the entire workforce,” said Cheryl Forino Wahl, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at MetroHealth. “Our values and culture of ethics permeate everything we do at MetroHealth. We work together to improve the health and well-being not only of our patients, but our employees, our business partners and our neighbors. We are proud of our long history of caring for the most vulnerable people. And we do it because this is who we are.”

“We are pleased to welcome The MetroHealth System to the ranks of the World’s Most Ethical Companies,” said Ethisphere’s Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. “This is the first time MetroHealth has received this honor, which is a testament to the culture Dr. Boutros and his team have created.”

Wahl said that to enhance its ethical culture, MetroHealth has, among other things, developed a new code of conduct titled “This is Who We Are;”; added mandatory compliance training for all employees; aggressively promoted a “speak up” culture; stepped up compliance and ethics training for managers; expanded its conflict of interest oversight; significantly increased sustainability efforts; and increased contracting with minority- or female-owned businesses.

Methodology & Scoring
Grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient®, the World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe. Best practices and insights from the 2020 honorees will be released in a report and webcast in March and April of this year.

All companies that participate in the assessment process receive an Analytical Scorecard providing them a holistic assessment of where their programs stand against the demanding standards of leading companies.­­

Honorees
The full list of the 2020 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at https://worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees.