Ethical and Professional Standards Flashcards

A family member calls asking the operator to start a cremation before the signed authorization arrives, promising to fax it later. What is the ethical response?

Answer: Decline until the completed, signed authorization is received

Cremation is irreversible, so a valid signed authorization must be in hand before it begins.

Two adult children with equal legal authority disagree about whether their mother should be cremated. What should the crematory do?

Answer: Hold off on the cremation until the dispute is resolved or a court orders it

When people with equal authority dispute the decision, the crematory should wait for agreement or a court order.

Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a provider offering direct cremation must also:

Answer: Offer an alternative container or an unfinished wood box

The Funeral Rule says providers offering direct cremation must make alternative containers available and cannot require a casket.

A crematory employee posts a photo of the cremation room on social media, with a decedent's name tag visible. This mainly violates:

Answer: Confidentiality and the dignity of the decedent

Sharing identifying information about a decedent breaks confidentiality and disrespects the deceased and the family.

Which practice best shows ethical transparency with families about cremated remains?

Answer: Explaining that remains are processed and that small amounts of residue may stay in the chamber

Honestly explaining processing and unavoidable residual material keeps families from being misled.

A crematory finds out that a cremation was done on the wrong decedent. What should it do first, ethically?

Answer: Notify the authorizing agents, management, and regulators as required, and document everything

Professional ethics and most state laws require prompt, honest disclosure and documentation of identification errors.

Accepting a referral fee from a cemetery in exchange for steering families to it is generally:

Answer: An unethical conflict of interest, and illegal in many states

Kickbacks for referrals put the provider's gain ahead of what the family needs and are banned in many jurisdictions.