HOSA: Health Informatics/Medical Law & Ethics

Ethical issues in modern medicine

medical fertility, do not resuscitate orders, artificial sources of nutrition, palliative care, euthanasia, organ transplantation, reproductive rights/abortion

3 branches of government

Legislative- makes laws
Executive- administers laws
Judicial- enforces laws

2 types of law

Common law
Statutory law

common law

A legal system based on custom and court rulings
also called case law

Statutory law

Law enacted by Congress, or by state legislatures or local legislative bodies.

Administrative law

administrative agencies are given the power to enact regulations that also have the force of law

Civil law

type of law that affects relations between individuals, corporations, government agencies, and other organizations

felony

crime punishable by death or imprisonment for more than a year

misdemeanor

crime punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to 1 year

appellant

one who appeals a case

trial process

jury selection
opening statements
examination
cross examination
closing arguments
jury deliberation
verdict
guilty or not guilty

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

enforces the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, or Controlled Substances Act

Registrant

according to the law, the only person allowed to issue prescriptions

Schedule I Drugs

high potential for abuse and have no current medical use
heroin and LSD

Schedule II Drugs

have current medical use in U.S. but with severe restrictions
Morphine (narcotic) and Ritalin (non-narcotic)

Schedule III Drugs

have less potential for abuse than I and II drugs but can lead to moderate/low physical dependence or high psychological dependence

Schedule IV Drugs

have lower potential for abuse than III drugs but can lead to limited physical or psychological dependency

Schedule V Drugs

have less potential for abuse that IV drugs and their abuse may be limited to physical or psychological dependency
Cough medicines and antidiarrheals

probate court

also called estate court
oversees distribution of the person's estate upon death

appeals court

reviews decisions of courts

small claims court

allows the physician or physician representative o file action against a client for an unpaid or delinquent account
can seek monetary up to $2000

subpoena duces tecum

requires a witness to appear in court and bring certain records

waive

voluntarily give up

malfeasance

commission of an unlawful act

misfeasance

improper performance of an act that results in an injury to another

criminal liability

when an individual commits an act that is considered to be a offense against society as a whole

civil liability

conflicts between individuals, corporations, government bodies, and other organizations

nonfeasance

failure to perform an act when there is a duty to do so

Health Insurane Accountability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

passed by congress in 1996 and applies to employer-based and commercially issued group health insurance

3 requirements of HIPAA

1.standardization of electronic patient health data, administrative data, and financial data
2.unique health identifiers for individuals, employers, health plans, and health care providers
3.security standards to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the individually identifiable health information, past, present, or future

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Any part of a patient's health information that is linked to information that identifies the patient

expressed contract

can be written or oral, but all facets must be specifically stated ad understood

implied contract

most common form of contracts in health care
does not require a specific expression of the parties involved

medical malpractice

also known as professional negligence
medical professional misconduct

intentional tort

the intentional commission of a violation of another persons rights

unintentional tort

result of the omission or the commission of an act

4 D's of negligence

duty, derelict, direct cause, and damages

Duty

(1 of 4 d's)
exists when the physician-client relationship has been established

Derelict

(2 of 4 d's)
client must prove that the physician failed to comply with the standards required and dictated by the profession

Direct cause

(3 of 4 d's)
any damage or injury that resulted from the physicians breach of duty were directly related to the breach and that no intermittent circumstances or intervening acts could have caused the damages

Damages

(4 of 4 d's)
compensation provided for injuries suffered by the client

res ipsa loquitur

"the thing speaks for itself"
relates to foreign bodies being left in clients and instruments slipping during surgical procedures

assault

threat to inflict injury with apparent ability to do so

battery

when client receives treatment without given consent to do so

defamation of character

spoken or written words that tend to injure a persons reputation and for which damages can be recovered

respondeat superior

"let the master answer"
physicians are not only responsible for their own acts of negligence but also the negligent actions of their employees

public duties

reporting deaths, rapes, and abuse

public welfare (disease)

a disease is reportable when it concerns

public welfare (injury)

an injury is reportable when it concerns

physical injury

(child abuse)
burns, severe bruising, lacerations, fractures, injures to internal organs, serious bodily injury

mental injury

(child abuse)
harm to childs well-being that damages their psychological or intellectual development

sexually explicit conduct

(child abuse)
actual or simulated sexual intercourse with a child(same or opposite sex),masturbation, exhibition of genitalia, or sadistic or masochistic abuse

child molestation

(child abuse)
oral-genitalia contact, viewing and fondling of genitals

sexual exploitation

(child abuse)
child pornography, child prostitution, sexual explicit use of child's image in electronic media

incest

(child abuse)
sexual relations between children and parents in the same family

intimate partner violence (IPV)

violence/abuse between a spouse or former spouse
refers to actual or threatened physical, sexual, or psychological harm to another individual

physical violence

(1 of 4 ipv)
intent to do harm, cause disability, injury, or death

sexual violece

(2 of 4 ipv)
forcing another to commit a sex act against his or her will

threats of physical/sexual violence

(3 of 4 ipv)
gestures, words, or weapons are used to cause harm, injury, disability or death

psychological/emotional violence

(4 of 4 ipv)
trauma that includes humiliation, control, any acts to embarrass or diminish a partner, isolating a partner from family and friends, and denying access to monetary funds or basic resources

stalking

act of following, spying upon, making repeated calls or contacts after being asked not to, appearing at one's home or place of employment, and making threats, with or without a weapon

rape

forced sexual intercourse or penetration of a bodily orifice by a penis or other object

disorganization

(1 of 4 phases of rape victims)
phase of fear, shock, denial, and feeling of loss of control

reorganization

(3 of 4 phases of rape victims)
survivor is no longer in denial but often becomes depressed

recovery

(4 of 4 phases of rape victims)
survivors realize they are not to blame for rape

physical abuse

(elder abuse)
violence that results in bodily harm or severe mental stress

financial abuse

(elder abuse)
financial or material exploitation of an elder's resources

emotional/psychological abuse

(elder abuse)
actions that dehumanize an elderly person including social isolation, name-calling, harassment, humiliating, insulting, threatening to punish, treating an elderly person like a child, and yelling or screaming

Good Samaritan laws

mainly apply to physicians but can also apply to other hc professionals

consent

voluntary affirmation by a client to allow touching, examination, or treatment by medically authorized personnel

consent by word

consent that is oral or written

consent by action

consent that is nonverbal behavior

uninformed consent

client gives permission but does not understand or comprehend what has been consented

problem-oriented medical record (POMR)

or problem-oriented record (POR), is a method of documentation that emphasizes patients' problems.

SOAP/SOAPER

Acronym for patient progress notes based on Subjective impressions, Objective clinical evidence, Assessment or diagnosis, Plans for treatment, Education for Patient, and Response of patient to education and care given.

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

prevents workplace disease and injuries

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

provides employees up to 12 weeks of job-protected and unpaid leave for family and medical reasons

quid pro quo

"this for that"
trading sexual favors for job advancement

Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964

protects employees from sexual harassment

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

information compiled by the manufacturer about product safety, including the names of hazardous ingredients, safe handling and use procedures, precautions to reduce the risk of accidental harm or overexposure, and flammability warnings.

Bloodborne Pathogen Standard

reduces occupational-related cases of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C infections among hc workers

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

eliminate discrimination in employment against a qualified individual with a disability

Clinical Hygiene Plan (CHP)

addresses training, information requirements, and provisions that must be implemented for chemical exposure in a ambulatory hc setting

ageism

any form of prejudice, bias, or discrimination that negatively targets the person in the basis of age

ethnic background

one's national heritage, race, tribe, clan, and language and may be related to geographic location

gender issues

prejudice, bias, or discrimination based on sexual identity

sexual orientation issues

issues of heterosexuals, gays, lesbians, bisexuals,and transvestites

educational preparation

one's formal education, such as kindergarten through high school

life eperiences

events such as death, divorce, disability, chronic illness, family crises, adoption, and surrogacy.

spiritual beliefs

any of the major religions or no specific religion

role models ad mentors

may be teachers, family members, famous persons, pacifists, or warriors and may be a positive or negative affect on indiviuals

economic influences

stem form resources available, wealth and its distribution, the developing world versus industrial or informational affluence, dictatorship versus democracy

values

morals or standards that are acceptable and practical in a culture

internal milieu

cannot be seen by people but it affects one's daily life

allocation of scare medical resources

distribution of available hc resources

access to medical care

refers to whether people should have the right to hc are able to receive hc

macroallocation

decisions are made by larger bodies such as congress and health organizations

microallocation

decisions concerning who shall obtain the resources available are made on an individual basis usually by local hospital policy and cotors

diagnosis-related groups (DRG)

congress instituted prospective payment system that reflects macroallocation which categorizes clients' conditions and identifies them by number

phenylketonuria (PKU)

a congenital disease resulting in serious neurological deficits in infancy