ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the theoretical and applied perspectives of the book regarding governance ethics in healthcare organizations. The discussion presents a new ethics paradigm to consider pivotal topics regarding governance ethics. The topics are pivotal because they have contributed to undermining public confidence in healthcare organizations, both private and public. The chapter considers the need for a straightforward approach to governance ethics that will encourage greater board accountability in healthcare organizations. Instead of discussing ethical theories and principles, the ethics paradigm provides a framework for applied analysis that does not require formal ethics training or expertise. The theoretical explanation of the ethics paradigm has three components: a foundation component that deals with the concept of identity (reflecting who we are), a process component that addresses the concept of accountability (reflecting how we function), and a practice component that engages the concept of quality (reflecting what we do). The purpose is to highlight hallmarks of governance ethics that denote associated moral imperatives. Because the hallmarks represent necessary moral attributes of governance ethics, they entail an obligation to be adopted by boards. In turn, the associated moral imperatives represent necessary endeavors to foster the hallmarks under consideration.
