Medical Assisting assignment #2 vocab cards part 1

Abandonement

Leaving a patient after care has been initiated and before the patient has been transferred to someone with equal or greater medical training.

Advance directive

a document stating a person's wishes about health care when that person cannot make his or her own decisions

Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act

Passed by Congress in 1991, this act banned discrimination against the disabled in employment and mandated easy access to all public and commerical buildings.

Appeal

apply to a higher court for a reversal of the decision of a lower court.

Assault

a violent attack

Battery

(n.) - an assault or an array of similar things intended for use together

Bench Trial

trial without a jury

Bioethics

The study of ethics related to issues that arise in health care.

Blood-Borne Pathogens

Disease-causing microorganisms carried in the body by blood or body fluids, such as hepatitis and HIV.

Breach

(n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; (v.) to create an opening, break through

Certification

process by which a person who has met certain criteria established by a nongovernmental association is granted recognition

Civil Laws

laws regulating interactions between individuals; violation of a civil law is called a tort

Common Law

a system of law based on precedent and customs

Comparative Negligence

A rule in tort law that reduces the plaintiff's recovery in proportion to the plaintiff's degree of fault, rather than barring recovery completely; used in the majority of states.

Confidentiality

the act of holding information in confidence, not to be released to unauthorized individuals

Consent

permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.

Contract

a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law

Contributory negligence

A legal defense that may be raised when the defendant feels that the conduct of the plaintiff somehow contributed to any injuries or damages that were sustained by the plaintiff.

Damages

money ordered by a court to be paid for injuries or losses suffered

Defamation of Character

Wrongfully hurting a person's good reputation. The law imposes a general duty on all persons to refrain from making false, defamatory statements about others.

Defendant

an individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law.

Deposition

the process in which material is laid down

Durable Power of Attorney

a legal agreement that allows an agent or representative of the patient to act on behalf of the patient

Duress

compulsion, force

Emancipated Minor

A person who is under the legal age in a given state but, because of other circumstances, is legally considered an adult.

Ethics

A system of moral principles.

Expert Witness

a person who is permitted to testify at a trial because of special knowledge or proficiency in a particular field that is relevant to the case.

Express Consent

an oral or written agreement

Express Contract

A contract in which the terms of the agreement are fully and explicitly stated in words, oral or written.