Code of Conduct

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
"Connect" Access Agreement


As a condition of initial and continuing participation in, and access to, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine “AAHPM” Connect” (Higher Logic supported member sharing platform), AAHPM requires those members wishing to participate to accept and adhere to the terms of the following Access Agreement.

Rules
  1. AAHPM has made “Connect” available to interested members for the purpose of providing a forum for the exchange of information relating to the special interest topics in the practice of hospice and palliative medicine. Any posted information must be related to the purposes of Connect.

  2. Members must comply at all times with the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (“Privacy Rule”) and the Electronic Security Rule (“Security Rule”) established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). Information posted to “Connect” will not be treated as confidential and, therefore, should not identify any patient by name or other identifying features, characteristics, or any other individually identifiable Patient Health Information, as defined under the Privacy Rule. In fact, since any information posted to “Connect” may be downloaded, reproduced, and disseminated without the knowledge of the sender(s), members should use extreme care when posting or sending such information.

  3. Postings are not:
    i. recommendations or endorsements of a course of treatment for a particular patient;
    ii. professional opinions or advice; or
    iii. practice guidelines or other policies intended to supplant a physician’s judgment with respect to particular patients or clinical situations. Postings are provided for informational purposes only to facilitate discussion on a given topic.

  4. Members should exercise both common sense and courtesy in submitting comments or materials for posting (“Discussions”). Inappropriate submissions would include, for example, comments or materials that:
    i. make false or defamatory statements about others;
    ii. are obscene, vulgar, abusive, hateful or threatening;
    iii. harass or discriminate on the basis of race, religion, age, nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or other factors; or
    iv. are invasive of the privacy rights of others (e.g., by including addresses, telephone numbers or other personal information about third persons without their consent).

    Anyone who believes that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to immediately notify the AAHPM Connect Administrator.

  5. Members are prohibited from using Connect to communicate with competitors about prices, terms of service, to exchange practice management or any other proprietary information with anyone involved in the management of physician practices, or otherwise communicate in a manner that may violate federal or state antitrust laws.

  6. Members may not post any other information subject to trademark, copyright, or other proprietary rights, except with the express consent of the owner of the rights. Unless expressly provided otherwise, members represent that any and all material provided to AAHPM for Connect may be further published, displayed, copied, downloaded, transmitted, or modified by AAHPM or any of its members participating in Connect.

  7. Due to AAHPM’s status as a tax-exempt organization and the legal limitations on its activities, postings may not contain comments or materials supporting or opposing any candidates for political office or otherwise relating to political activity or activity inconsistent with AAHPM’s purposes.

  8. Members are prohibited from posting commercial messages advertising or selling goods or services. Inappropriate submissions of this nature would include and are not limited to:
    i. promoting a competing organizations conference or event; or
    ii. providing links that require any kind of payment of purchase.

  9. Members must respect the security of Connect and may not attempt to gain access to areas private to AAHPM or other members. A member may not upload, post, or transmit any material containing software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt or limit the functionality of the AAHPM’s Web site, computer software or hardware, or telecommunications equipment. Members may not attempt to decompile, reverse engineer, modify or hack the Web site or underlying software to defeat or overcome any encryption or digital rights management technology implemented by the AAHPM, or to harm, disable, overburden, misuse or interfere with any other party’s use of AAHPM Connect or the AAHPM Web site, servers, networks, or systems.

  10. Members are prohibited from using Connect to post information pertaining to job openings or job postings.

  11. Members are prohibited from using Connect for illegal purposes or in any manner that violates the AAHPM bylaws or any other policies, procedures, rules, or regulations of AAHPM. This also includes sharing any information regarding an ongoing lawsuit.

  12. AAHPM shall deny access to Connect to any member who has not agreed to the terms of this Access Agreement and reserves the right to terminate access to any member who does not abide by such terms.

AAHPM’s Right to Monitor and Administer Connect
AAHPM reserves the right to monitor and administer AAHPM Connect; Higher Logic Platform and, in its sole discretion, to refuse to post any Submissions received or to remove Submissions that have been posted. AAHPM also reserves the right to disallow the use of any particular screen name or e-mail address, or to terminate any member’s posting privileges at any time.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification
Any views expressed on Connect are those of the individual participants. They do not and should not be construed as representing the views of AAHPM. AAHPM makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information posted, whether posted by AAHPM or any third party, and AAHPM assumes no responsibility or liability regarding the use or misuse of such information for any purpose. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented within Connect are for general information only. Such information should not be considered professional advice and is not intended to replace consultation with a qualified professional. Moreover, AAHPM makes no warranty that Connect, or any computer, server, device, software, or other technology associated with Connect, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. Unless specifically stated otherwise, AAHPM does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned on Connect, and information from Connect should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement.

Nevertheless, AAHPM retains the right to monitor posted information and decline to post and/or remove messages or materials that it believes do not comply with the terms of this Access Agreement or are not in the best interests of AAHPM. The site and the content are provided “as is” and “as available”. AAHPM expressly disclaims all warranties, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.

Each member having access to Connect shall indemnify and hold AAHPM harmless from and against any and all liability, claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees) relating to his or her acts or omissions or to materials or information he or she transmits in connection with the use of Connect.

Choice of Law
This Agreement shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of Illinois irrespective of its choice of laws rules. In addition, members consent to be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of Cook County, Illinois in the event of any dispute between the parties, and members and AAHPM hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts over them.

Amendment
AAHPM reserves the right to modify the rules of this Access Agreement as they determine from time to time in the best interests of AAHPM, provided all members are notified prior to any such change.


Please exit now if you do not agree to these terms and conditions.
For any other information please contact AAHPM.