Autonomy
Person’s self-reliance, independence, liberty, rights, privacy, individual choice, freedom of the will, and self-contained ability to decide
Beneficence
Doing of good; active promotion of goodness, kindness, and charity
Caring
Care for; an emotional commitment to and a willingness to act on behalf of a person with whom a caring relationship exists
Codes of Ethics
Articulated statements of role morality as seen by the members of a profession
Confidentiality
Belief that health-related information about individual patients should not be revealed to others; maintenance of privacy
Consequentialism
Belief that the worth of actions is determined by their ends or consequences; actions are right or wrong according to the balance of their good and bad consequences
Duties
Obligations placed on individuals, groups, and institutions by reason of the so-called moral bond of our interdependence with others
Ethical Dilemmas
Situations requiring moral judgment between two or more equally problem-fraught alternatives; two or more competing moral norms are present, creating a challenge about what to do
Ethical Outrage
Gross violation of commonly held standards of decency or human rights
Ethical Theories
Bodies of systematically related moral principles used to resolve ethical dilemmas
Ethics
Systematic study of rightness and wrongness of human conduct and character as known by natural reason
Ethics of Care
Ethical reflections that emphasize an intimate personal relationship value system that includes such virtues as sympathy, compassion, fidelity, discernment, and love
Fidelity
Strict observance of promises or duties; loyalty and faithfulness to others
Justice
Equitable, fair, or just conduct in dealing with others
Laws
Regulations established by government and applicable to people within a certain political subdivision
Legal Rights
Rights of individuals or groups that are established and guaranteed by law
Liberal Individualism
Basis for rights-based ethical theory; each individual is protected and allowed to pursue personal projects
Moral Principles
General, universal guides to action that are derived from so-called basic moral truths that should be respected unless a morally compelling reason exists not to do so; also referred to as ethical principles
Moral Rights
Rights of individuals or groups that exist separately from governmental or institutional guarantees; usually asserted based on moral principles or rules
Moral Rules
Statements of right conduct governing individual actions
Morals
Generally accepted customs, principles, or habits of right living and conduct in a society and the individual’s practice in relation to these
Nonconsequentialism
Belief that actions themselves, rather than consequences, determine the worth of actions; actions are right or wrong according to the morality of the acts themselves
Nonmaleficence
Ethical principle that places high value on avoiding harm to others
Norms
Standards set by individuals or groups of individuals
Principle-Based Ethics
Use of moral principles as a basis for defending a chosen path of action in resolving an ethical dilemma; also see Principlism
Principlism
Belief system based on a set of moral principles that are embedded in a common morality
Professional Ethic
Publicly displayed ethical conduct of a profession, usually embedded in a code of ethics; affirms the professional as an independent, autonomous, responsible decision maker
Professional Ethics
Internal controls of a profession based on human values or moral principles
Professional Etiquette
Manners and attitudes generally accepted by members of a profession
Rights
Justified claims that an individual can make on individuals, groups, or society; divided into legal rights and moral rights
Rights-Based Ethics
Belief that individual rights provide the vital protection of life, liberty, expression, and property
Rules of Ethics
ARRT’s mandatory standards of minimally acceptable professional conduct. These are enforceable and can result in sanctions should the ARRT determine the certificate holder has violated any of the rules.
Social Contract
Relationship that exists when two mutually dependent groups in a society recognize certain expectations of each other and conduct their affairs accordingly
Standards of Professional Conduct
Practice behaviors that are defined by members of a profession
Values
Ideals and customs of a society toward which the members of a group have an affective regard; a value may be a quality desirable as an end in itself
Value System
Collection or set of values that an individual or group has as each person’s personal guide
Veracity
Duty to tell the truth and avoid deception
Virtues
Traits of character that are socially valued, such as courage
Virtue-Based Ethics
Ethical theory that emphasizes the agents who perform actions and make choices; character and virtue form the framework of this ethical theory
Current Procedural Terminology, 4th Edition (CPT-4)
Comprehensive listing of medical terms and codes for the uniform designation of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures; used in the United States for coding for physician reimbursement and hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgical procedures
Electronic Health Record (EHR)
A longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. Included in this information are patient demographics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medical history, immunizations, laboratory data and radiology reports
Health Information Management (HIM)
The allied health profession built around the management of the healthcare record in its physical form, as well as the management of data and information within the medical record
Health Informatics
The interdisciplinary field that studies and pursues the effective uses of biomedical data, information and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem solving and decision making, motivated by efforts to improve human health
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
Federal legislation passed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the healthcare system; components that affect health information include privacy, security, and the establishment of standards and requirements for the electronic transmission of certain health information
International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM)
The classification system that replaced ICD-9-CM, Volumes 1 and 2 on October 1, 2015. This classification system is used for diagnosis coding in all healthcare settings in the United States
Medical necessity
healthcare services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat an illness, injury, condition, disease, or its symptoms
Revenue Cycle
The process of patient financial and health information moving into, through, and out of the healthcare organization, culminating with the healthcare organization receiving reimbursement for services provided
Assault
Any willful attempt or threat to inflict injury on the person of another, when coupled with the apparent present ability to do so, and any intentional display of force such as would give the victim reason to fear or expect immediate bodily harm
Battery
Any unlawful touching of another that is without justification or excuse
Contract
An agreement between two or more persons or parties which creates an obligation to do or not to do a particular thing.
Defamation
Holding up a person to ridicule, scorn, or contempt in a respectable and considerable part of the community
False Imprisonment
Conscious restraint of the freedom of a person without proper authorization, privilege, or consent
Fraud
Intentional perversion of truth for the purpose of inducing a person to rely on the false information to their detriment
Implied Consent
Person’s agreement to allow something to happen which is not expressly given but rather inferred from a person’s actions or inactions
Informed Consent
Person’s agreement to allow something to happen (such as surgery) that is based on a full disclosure of the facts needed to make the decision intelligently—that is, knowledge of risks involved, alternatives, benefits, and other information needed by a reasonable person to make a decision
Negligence
Failure to do something that a reasonable person guided by the ordinary considerations that ordinarily regulate human affairs would do or the doing of something a reasonable and prudent person would not do
Res Ipsa Loquitur
Meaning the thing speaks for itself; legal theory requiring three elements(1) that the type of injury did not occur except for negligence, (2) that the activity was under the complete control of the defendant, and (3) that the plaintiff did not contribute to their own injury in any way
Respondeat Superior
Meaning let the superior respond or the master speaks for the servant; the physician, supervisor, or employer may be liable in certain cases for the wrongful acts of employees or subordinates
Standard of Care
Degree of skill (proficiency), knowledge, and care ordinarily possessed and employed by members in good standing within the profession
Tort
Private or civil wrong or injury, other than breach of contract, for which the court provides a remedy in the form of an action for damages