MA 112 - Medical Law and Ethics

The student will be introduced to human value development, the decision-making process, and the foundation of the U.S. legal system.  Issues such as licensure and certification; managed care; medical records; as well as patients’ and physicians’ rights and responsibilities will be covered.  The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ; the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other laws pertaining to the medical workplace are presented.  Medical contracts, professional liability and medical malpractice, as well as defense to liability suits will be integrated into the class discussions.         

Bioethical issues, such as cloning, genetic engineering, stem cell research as well as transplantation and death and dying, as they affect the roles of various health care practitioners, will also be discussed.  Case studies and video presentations will be used to enhance class discussions.  A research paper will be required.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• explain human value development and examine the common theories and methods used in making value decisions;
• understand the historical background of rights and reasoning and the basic principles of health care ethics;
• describe the basics of the judicial system, including the sources of law, public and private law, and the court system;
• explain licensure and certification as it applies to health care professionals;
• define and explain both the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) their importance in health care today;
• define the doctor-patient relationship;
• explain the medical professional’s role in providing confidentiality in professional relationships;
• describe the difference of the expressed and the implied contracts between physician and patient;
• define negligence and other medical-legal terms as they relate to the standard of medical care;
• recognize the role the medical professional has in maintaining medical records and their importance in defenses to professional liability suits;
• describe intentional torts and criminal offenses;
• define public duties and responsibilities and categorize the allocation of resources;
• explain employment safety and rights as well as those laws protecting consumers;
• define ethics;
• apply the principles of medical ethics as it relates to the American Medical Association (AMA) and evaluate the implications for the practicing physician;
• define and apply the code of ethics for the various health professions;
• apply the ethical approaches of deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics and others to bioethical issues such as assisted reproduction; genetic engineering; stem cell research; organ donation; transplantation; and other contemporary issues in health care;
• discuss the theories of Maslow, Erikson and Kubler-Ross;
• discuss attitudes toward death and dying, including: hospice and palliative care, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide as well as the use of advanced directives

 

Prerequisites: Completion of all developmental English
F/S (N)