HSC 4640 - Legal & Ethical Aspects of Health Care

College of Health Sciences

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Fall 2022 (610)

Requisites

(Prerequisite HSA 4184 with a minimum grade of C and
Admission to Health Services Administration (Bachelor of Applied Science) (HSA-BAS)) or
(Prerequisite DEH 4852 with a minimum grade of C and
Admission to Dental Hygiene (Bachelor of Applied Science) (DENH-BAS)) or
Admission to Emergency Management (Advanced Technical Certificate with Financial Aid Eligibility) (EAM-ATC)

Course Description

This course explores a broad overview of legal foundations in a multidisciplinary health care marketplace within the United States. Advanced topics included are legal history, torts, negligence, contracts, liability, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance, and medical records. The creation and termination of the patient-provider relationship will be explored as well as creation of an informed consent.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will explain torts and contracts and explore their application to health care providers in preventing medical malpractice claims by:
    1. distinguishing the difference in intentional versus unintentional torts.
    2. evaluating the elements needed for a medical malpractice claim to be valid.
    3. examining various types of malpractice insurance and its role in their professional lives.
    4. examining required elements of contracts and distinguishing between implied versus expressed contracts.
    5. comparing the rights of patients and the rights of providers.
  2. The student will differentiate between various legal principles involving health care providers and apply those principles to real-world situations by:
    1. defending positions, plaintiff and defendant, in a given theoretical legal health care situation.
    2. analyzing cases in the health care arena to identify determinants of action and resolution and how the cases affect health care providers.
    3. selecting and analyzing a legal case involving a health care worker that has previously been ruled upon.
    4. describing how to prevent medical errors and patient rights violations.
  3. The student will compare and contrast the processes of establishing and terminating a patient-provider relationship by:
    1. evaluating the legal requirements involving establishing a patient relationship.
    2. evaluating the legal requirements involving patient relationship termination.
    3. describing the process to create a patient-provider relationship.
    4. describing the process to terminate a patient-provider relationship.
  4. The student will explain and justify the need for medical records and articulate the necessity of HIPAA policies as they relate to the health care provider by:
    1. describing the contents and ownership of medical records.
    2. examining various HIPAA policies and their influence on a variety of health care practices.
    3. analyzing HIPAA policies and developing various changes that could be made to strengthen HIPAA compliance in medical offices.
    4. describing patient confidentiality and how it applies to a variety of health care practices.
  5. The student will evaluate legal principles as they apply to patient consent by:
    1. identifying when verbal consent versus written consent is appropriate.
    2. distinguishing between elements needed for the patient to become informed and elements needed for the patient to give consent.
    3. creating an informed consent document from a proposed health related condition.
    4. examining peer-reviewed literature sources regarding patient consent and a proposed health related condition.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course the student will, with a minimum of 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

Submitted as 4642, SCNS approved as 4640. C&I Approval: 12/02/2011, BOT Approval: 02/21/2012, Effective Term: Spring 2014 (480). C&I Approval: 11/20/2015, BOT Approval: 03/15/2016, Effective Term: Fall 2016 (520). C&I Approval: 02/21/2020, BOT Approval: 03/17/2020, Effective Term: Fall 2020 (580).
C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Fall 2022 (610)

Related Programs

  1. Cardiopulmonary Science (CARD-BS) (655) (Active)
  2. Dental Hygiene (DENH-BAS) (640) (Active)
  3. Emergency Management (EAM-ATC) (585) (Active)
  4. Health Services Administration (HSA-BAS) (655) (Active)