Driving a culture of integrity and the highest ethical behavior
Our Ethics and Compliance team works closely with teams across the regions to ensure that our activities adhere to applicable laws and to company policies. We offer numerous channels to educate and counsel employees, as well as confidential avenues to raise questions or report alleged violations of law and company policy. We investigate these items promptly and report to senior management as appropriate.
Our Commitment to Effective Corporate Governance
As a global healthcare company operating in more than 100 countries, we are committed to effective corporate governance, adherence to the law, and a culture of ethics and compliance throughout the organization. In 1995, we became one of the first companies to adopt formal corporate governance guidelines. Enhancing our practices and setting new standards is ongoing, and our current corporate governance guidelines reflect this continuous commitment.
Codes and Standards
Code of Conduct
We have established a strong foundation of integrity and compliance that helps guide employees in making good, ethical business judgments and taking appropriate, lawful actions.
Standard for Suppliers
We expect suppliers and business partners to comply with our guidelines and to know and obey all the laws governing the purchasing function at Baxter.
Global Interactions Policy
Building on the foundation of Baxter's Code of Conduct and applicable laws, Baxter’s Global Policy on Interactions with the Medical Community and Government Officials defines the principles and rules governing these types of interactions.
Global Third Party Anticorruption Policy
We are committed to conducting business with integrity and in compliance with the law in all countries in which we operate. It is critical that all Third Parties who interact with Government Officials, Healthcare Professionals, Medical Institutions and Non-Profit Organizations on Baxter's behalf share our commitment.
Professional Codes of Ethics
We have adopted numerous external professional and industry codes of ethics, for example:
Ethics and Compliance Structure and Programs
We design and update our ethics and compliance structure and programs regularly to reflect the needs of a complex global healthcare company.
We have an integrated local governance model in place, aligned to regions, countries, and business units to drive the integration of the Ethics & Compliance program throughout Baxter.
Privacy and Data Protection
At Baxter, we are deeply committed to respecting the privacy of our employees, patients, and customers. Safeguarding personal information is a cornerstone of our dedication to trust, integrity, and ethical responsibility. We uphold strict compliance with global privacy laws, embed privacy principles into our products and services, and empower our employees to manage personal information responsibly, transparently, and securely, acting with accountability and care across all our operations worldwide. This commitment is reinforced through executive oversight, policies and standards, and mandatory employee training. Our Global Privacy Policy explains how we protect personal information and uphold privacy rights across all our operations globally.
Baxter is also committed to protecting the security of our infrastructure and products and ensuring the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). We monitor regulations globally, including relevant developments and actions related to enterprise and product cybersecurity and AI. In addition, we hold ourselves accountable to our own rigorous internal policies and procedures and to evolving customer requirements and industry standards. Baxter advances the ethical, responsible and compliant development and use of AI by maintaining a robust AI governance framework, while our Global Cybersecurity and Compliance team helps protect Baxter against cyber incidents.
Communication and Guidance
Open communication is central to our commitment to integrity. We offer numerous channels to educate and counsel employees, as well as confidential avenues to report suspected violations of law and policy, which Ethics & Compliance investigates promptly and reports to senior management as appropriate. Managers are responsible for maintaining an environment that enables employees to raise and discuss issues safely.
Ethics and Compliance Helpline
One such channel is the Baxter Ethics and Compliance Helpline, an independent telephone and Web resource available to employees and their families, suppliers, customers and other Baxter stakeholders to raise issues and openly communicate about possible company ethics and compliance issues, accessible online at baxter.ethicspoint.com or via a 24/7 telephone hotline. We encourage reports to be made via the Helpline to optimize consistency and efficiency in how reports are investigated and remediated. Reporters may remain anonymous when reporting through the Helpline; it allows reporters to communicate with the investigative team even while remaining anonymous.