The scenario is posed: Baby-Friendly-hospital-based LC needs to give a mom referral information to obtain a pump. How should it be done? Any inquiry regarding ethics requires a look at the facts of the individual situation. As some of you have heard me say, the question is: "Does this pass the smell test?" A mom who is two days postpartum and still in the hospital is much more vulnerable than the Mom who is up, out, and shopping the Web for the best deal. Doctors have their own set of ethical requirements; IBCLCs are bound by the Code of Ethics promulgated and enforced by the IBLCE. A quick look at our Code (pull up IBLCE.org) shows several rules that would come into play once a hospital is making a referral. Easiest way: compile a list of all rental outlets in the area, incl. the hospital's new center. Throw in the 800#'s for the big pump companies. The choosier you are about who goes on the list .... the more open you are to favoritism charges. If you cull the list (only LC-run rental stations ... only DME outlets ... only the hospital's rental station), judgments are having to be made by the person creating the list. And that means (which isn't an ethics issue as much as a pain-in-the-neck issue). And we all know dozens of ways to nudge a mom into using one of the names on our politically-correct list. ("Here is a list of all the rental stations in the area. You need to get your hands on a hospital-grade pump. The hospital's new center is just on your way out ... it is so nice when you can avoid that extra stop!") Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC Wyndmoor, PA, USA _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html