Statement of Ethical Conduct
Our Commitment To Integrity And Ethical Conduct
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Statement of Ethical Conduct
• Driven by the University’s mission of teaching,
research, and patient care
– Sets expectation of highest standards of ethical
conduct
– Commits to upholding the reputation of the
University
– Encourages compliance with applicable laws,
regulations, and University policies
– Does not condone retaliation for any good faith
report of improper activity
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Statement of Ethical Conduct
• Be honest, ethical, truthful
• Obey the law
• Follow University policies and procedures
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What Is Honesty?
• Honesty is
– Fairness
– Forthrightness
– Straightforward conduct
– A refusal to lie, steal or deceive
• Honesty is taking responsibility for one’s own
actions
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What Is Fraud?
• Fraud is an intentional act calculated to
deceive by
– Affirmative act
– Concealment
– Omission
• …that results in damage to an individual or
organization and violates a legal or equitable
duty owed
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Impact Of Dishonesty And Fraud
• Fraud and dishonesty cause
– The destruction of institutional and personal
reputation, loss of respect, and loss of public esteem
– Criminal and civil penalties, fines, suspension,
terminations and the destruction of careers
– U.S. organizations to lose an estimated five (5%)
percent of their annual revenues
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Identifying And Reporting Fraud
• The five most reported schemes of fraud are:
– BILLING SCHEMES – employee causes the business to issue
payment for fictitious goods or services or payment for services
that were personal to the employee
– PAYROLL SCHEMES – employee caused the business to issue
payment for compensation for false claims of work
– EXPENSE REIMUBURSEMENT SCHEMES – employee makes a claim
for reimbursement for a fictitious, or inflated, or personal expense
– CHECK TAMPERING – employee steals funds by forging or altering
a business check
– CASH REGISTER DISBURSEMENT SCHEMES – employee makes false
entries on a cash register to conceal removal of currency
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Who Reports Fraud, And How?
• Fraud is discovered 46% of the time due to a
tip provided by an individual
– Of the fraud tips provided, 59.6% come from
company employees
– 35% from customers or vendors
– 5% by internal or external audit and by chance
• Organizations with anonymous reporting
systems cut their fraud losses by 50%
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What Is Ethical Conduct?
• Conduct conforming to the law and
regulations, professional standards, and the
policies of the University
– A Statement of Ethical Conduct expresses a set of
values and defines the purpose of an individual or
organization
– A Statement of Ethical Conduct says: “This is who
we are and this is what we stand for”
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What Is Compliance?
• A willingness to follow a prescribed course of
action
– Acting according to certain accepted standards
– Observance of official requirements
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Columbia’s Compliance Hotline
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Compliance Hotline
• A 24/7 confidential channel for employees to
report or seek guidance on incidents of financial
impropriety
• Enhances the set of existing services and channels
that support integrity and compliance
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EVP for Research
Billing Compliance
Human Resources
Internal Audit
Ombuds Office
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Why Is This Important?
• We want to give employees every possible
means to report fraud, abuse, and conflicts of
interest -- and the understanding of why it is
important to do so
– Less than one-half of all organizations encourage
discussion of moral dilemmas and criticism of
unethical conduct
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Columbia’s Compliance Hotline
• Provided and administered by a third party -Global Compliance
• 24-hour telephone and web-based channels
– (866) 627-3768
– https://www.submitreport.com/columbiauniversity.jsp
• Confidential intake and report handling
– Option to report anonymously
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Focus Of The Compliance Hotline
• University-wide scope
– Fraud and financial improprieties
– Research misconduct
– Conflicts of interest
– Breaches of confidentiality or destruction of
information
– Discrimination or harassment
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Options -- How, Where to Report
• If possible, reach out to your supervisor first
– As an alternative, identify the proper channel for
seeking guidance, reporting, or resolution
– Compliance Hotline
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