Greatful Patient Leaves Gift - What do you do?

[spenac]

So do you accept it?

Do you refuse it?

Is it ethical?

Is it moral?

[Tpage10]

What is the gift?

[emtannie]

In the services I have worked with, there are specific policies regarding accepting gifts.

If the gift is less than $100, you can accept it. If it is more than $100, you cannot. If the person giving the gift refuses to take no for an answer, you get your supervisor involved to also talk to the person. Usually, the gift is a gift certificate for something, and if the giver still refuses to take no for an answer, then we accept it and then donate it to one of the charity auctions we are involved in.

Is it moral? Well, it depends on the reasons for acceptance. It is a good feeling to get a thank you from a patient, and they are trying to express that thanks in a tangible way. If we are accepting the gift in hopes of further gain, that is not acceptable.

Is it ethical? Again, it depends on the reasons for acceptance. That is why we have the policies in place that we do, in an attempt to prevent larger issues from surfacing.

[FireMedic65]

I personally don't have any real concern with accepting a gift from a patient, within reason of course. I do not expect to get anything, I do not want anything given to me, and never would I ask anything to be given to me.

If explained to the patient that they do not have to be generous for our services, and they still insist on giving you something, it would be rude not to take it. Taking the gift and being greedy about it with yourself, that is another story. I would share it, if possible with my partner.

If I so happen to safe a guy from a burning burger joint and he decides to give me free burgers for life, of course I would accept it. I just hope my colleagues would come to my aid when I give myself a stroke for eating 30 of them in a row.

[crotchitymedic1986]

Such policies are in place to prevent insurance fraud, which typically does not exist in these isolated incidents. If someone called and asked if they could do something, I would ask them to send something the whole group could share -- cookies, pizza, etc (no cash).

Refer to your policy manual, if it states you can not accept it, I would not -- or ask your supervisor if it would be OK to accept the gift and then donate it to charity. That way you dont rub the patient the wrong way, as they are going out of their way to say thank you.

[fireflymedic]

With us, we typically get service related gifts. If something comes addressed to a particular person, then our director tends to address that depending on the nature of it. In general, I dont have issues with the gift thing unless it is something that is rather expensive, but most times it is something simple (in general like gift baskets etc) and something that can be shared with whole crew. So thats our policy.

[fiznat]

We can't accept tips, but one time I did take a free lunch from an owner of a deli that happened to be a patient of mine. He was adamant that I accept, plus they make really good sandwiches there.

[WolfmanHarris]

Ethically I don't know where I stand on this and what ethical principles may be at work here. As long as the gift is of limited monetary value, given in good faith without any expectation of consideration and not requested the issues I have become just a bad slippery slope argument of "what if's?" that aren't particularly helpful.

Personally, I'd find it difficult to accept most gifts from a patient as I don't feel comfortable placing myself in a situation where I can be taking from them. If a patient were to ask what they could give my partner and myself, I'd recommend a donation to PAC's Paramedic Benevolence Fund. If they show up with a gift I'd suggest they donate it in the name of the EMS Service. Now there are some exceptions: if someone brings in some cookies to the station, I'd thank them and spread the wealth. I'd consider it rude to emphatically reject a small, thoughtful gesture like that.

[VentMedic]

Many companies do address this in their policies. Often it is up to a certain monetary limit when it is from a patient.

A gift does not just have to be from a patient to fall into this category. I'm sure many here have accepted free meals at various restaurants. This is usually acceptable except if there is a polictical or business connection. It could also come into question if the restaurant owner had been a patient of yours and several meals have been consumed at that restaurant. Another area of concern is when vendors or competitors offer gifts. A vendor bringing pizza while giving an inservice may be acceptable. A vendor sending you gifts to sway your decision on a product may not. I believe AMR, as well as hospital based companies, has a corporate compliance program that specifically outlines what is acceptable or not.

[CBEMT]

Asked and answered in a previous thread on the same topic.