MEDA 140 - Medical Law and Ethics

• Define:
  • ethics
  • morals 
• Identify personal and professional ethics.
• Identify potential effects of personal morals on professional performance.
• Identify professional behaviors of a medical assistant.
• Recognize personal boundaries.
• Demonstrate professional responses to ethical issues.
• Define the following medical-legal terms:
  • informed consent
  • expressed consent
  • patient incompetence
  • emancipated minor
  • mature minor
  • subpoena dues tecum
  • respondeat superior
  • res ipsa loquitor
  • locums tenens
  • defendant-plaintiff
  • deposition
  • arbitration-mediation
• Identify scope of practice and standards of care for medical assistants.
• Locate a state’s scope of practice for medical assistants.
• Identify the provider role in terms of standard of care.
• Identify the standards outlined in The Patient Care Partnership.
• Identify licensure and certification as they apply to healthcare providers.
• Identify criminal and civil law as it applies to the practicing medical assistant.
• Identify components of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and apply HIPAA rules in regard to:
  • privacy
  • release of information
• Identify:
  • Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
  • Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008(GINA)
  • Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA)
• Identify the implications for failure to comply with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regulations in healthcare settings.
• Identify the process for compliance reporting:
  • unsafe activities
  • errors in patient care
  • conflicts of interest
  • incident reports;
• Identify compliance with public health statutes related to:
  • communicable diseases 
  • abuse, neglect and exploitation
  • wounds of violence
• Complete compliance reporting based on public health statutes.
• Define:
  • negligence
  • malpractice
  • statute of limitations
  • Good Samaritan Act(s)
  • Uniform Anatomical Gift Act
  • living will/advanced directives
  • medical durable power of attorney
  • Patient Self-determination Act (PSDA)
  • risk management
• Identify the purpose of medical malpractice insurance.
• Report an illegal activity following the protocol established by the healthcare setting.
• Complete an incident report related to an error in patient care.
• Identify legal and illegal applicant interview questions.
• Identify quality assurance practices in healthcare.

1. The medical assistant: professional behaviors and scope of practice
2. Medical Assistant licensure and credentialing
3. Standards of care and the provider role
4. Patient care partnership
5. Criminal and civil laws
6. Reporting compliance, error, unsafe activities, incident reports, conflicts of interest
7. Legal implications in recruitment and hiring
8. Ethical and professional considerations
9. Health Insurance Portability & Accountability (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) acts