WHC 328 - Healthcare Law & Ethics

Course unit(s): 1
Various legal and ethical issues related to managing a healthcare enterprise will be examined, including development and administration of organizational policy on Advance Directives, patient confidentiality (in compliance with HIPAA standards), and withholding of treatment. The wide realm of bioethical issues under debate by healthcare professionals and policy-makers will also be considered, such as physician-assisted suicide and palliative care versus life-sustaining treatment. The role of Ethics Committees in healthcare facilities will be discussed, as will the role of patient advocates/Ombudsmen and the establishment of institutional guidelines for resolution of patient grievances. The development of protocols for decisionmaking in regard to legal/ethical conflicts will also be covered. A case-study approach will be emphasized to help students fully understand the gravity of legal/ethical decision-making by healthcare management teams.