# How We Do Business > The operating principles that guide iPothecary. iPothecary helps healthcare practices manage products that patients use and rely on. That responsibility demands more than good software. It requires clear principles for how we make decisions, work with partners, handle information, and build our business. These are the standards we intend to hold ourselves to as we grow. ## When interests compete, our priorities are clear These principles are deliberately ordered. Commercial interests matter, but they do not outrank the responsibilities that make healthcare commerce worthy of trust. ### 01 — Protect the patient Patient safety comes before revenue, inventory movement, vendor relationships, or growth. We take recalls, expiration dates, storage conditions, product quality, and safety information seriously. Clinical judgment should never be distorted by commercial incentives. ### 02 — Follow the law — and respect its purpose Compliance is the minimum standard. We follow the laws, regulations, and professional standards relevant to the products and healthcare organizations we support. We do not seek technical loopholes that undermine rules intended to protect patients or healthcare organizations. ### 03 — Earn the trust of practices Healthcare practices should understand what iPothecary is doing on their behalf. We aim to be transparent about pricing, fees, inventory, product activity, recalls, and business relationships. Our technology should help practices operate better — not trap them. ### 04 — Deal fairly with partners Manufacturers, distributors, representatives, and other partners should be treated fairly and honestly. Commercial relationships should create legitimate value without compromising clinical independence. Undisclosed influence has no place in healthcare. ### 05 — Tell the truth We do not exaggerate our capabilities, hide material problems, manipulate reporting, or present future plans as existing features. Our marketing should reflect what iPothecary can actually do today. If something goes wrong, we acknowledge it and fix it. ### 06 — Protect information Access to healthcare and business information is a responsibility. We collect and use information for legitimate purposes, limit access appropriately, and protect sensitive information with appropriate safeguards. **We will not sell patient information.** ### 07 — Compete through better service We want customers to choose iPothecary because it creates value. We do not believe in winning through deception, coercion, improper access to competitor information, or artificial lock-in. A customer should stay because they value the platform. ### 08 — Build for the long term We will not trade reputation and trust for a quick sale, a vendor incentive, a contract, or a quarter’s results. The company should make decisions we would be comfortable explaining openly to patients, practices, partners, employees, and investors. ## Commerce should support care — not distort it Healthcare practices can legitimately provide products to patients and generate revenue from those products. Manufacturers and vendors can build legitimate commercial relationships with practices and iPothecary. iPothecary can earn revenue for technology, services, transactions, and partnerships. Those economics should never secretly determine what a clinician recommends to a patient. **Clinical decision:** What is appropriate for the patient? **Commercial execution:** How can obtaining and managing the product work better? iPothecary supports efficient, transparent, and sustainable commercial execution without improperly influencing clinical judgment. ## Trust should be visible in the system Ethical behavior should not depend on promises alone. We are building software that makes responsible work easier to see, follow, and explain through: - Product traceability - Lot and expiration records - Recall awareness - Location-level inventory visibility - Practice-defined pricing - Transaction history - Vendor and product records - Roles and permissions ## A simple test for difficult decisions > **Would we be comfortable if the patient, practice, partner, and our own families knew exactly what we did and why?** If the answer is no, we should reconsider the decision. ## Speaking up protects the company People working with or for iPothecary should be able to raise legitimate concerns about safety, compliance, privacy, security, financial practices, conflicts of interest, or unethical behavior. Good-faith concerns should be taken seriously. [Raise a concern or contact iPothecary](https://ipothecary.com/contact?reason=concern) ## Trust is part of the product iPothecary intends to build a durable business by helping healthcare organizations operate safely, efficiently, and transparently. Doing the right thing is not separate from building a successful company. It is how we intend to build one.