Essentials of Medical Law/Ethics for Health Professionals Syllabus for 2014-2015
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Instructor Information

Course Information

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

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As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

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Course

HPRS-1205-001 Essentials of Medical Law/Ethics for Health Professionals

Prerequisites

Course Description

Introduction to the relationship between legal aspects and ethics in health care, with emphasis on responsibilities of health care professionals.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

\N

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Hours

(2 sem hrs; 2 lec)

Class Type

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

\ MEDICAL LAW, ETHICS, and BIOETHICS for AMBULATORY CARE, Marcia A. Lewis and Carol D. Tamparo, 2012, 7th Edition, F. A. Davis Company   

Supplies

Paper, pens, notebook and page protectors.

Student Performance

End-of-Course Outcomes:  Identify current legal and ethical issues in health care; cite case studies and governmental regulations.

COURSE COMPETENCIES:
\ Upon completion of the following the student will be able to perform & recognize the following with at least a 70% accuracy as evaluated by the program's faculty.
\ •        Define a given list of legal terms.
\ •        Summarize patient's rights in health care according to:
\          a.  State of Texas
\          b.  Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals
\ •        Define confidentiality of medical records in the hospital and physician's office.
\ •        Demonstrate knowledge of patient record requirements through:
\          a.  record retention
\          b.  record content
\          c.  record destruction
\ •        Identify the importance and the requirements of medical record entries and their corrections and alterations.
\ •        Determine the interaction of release of information in the following special medical record areas:
\          a.  child abuse victim
\          b.  accident and incident reports
\          c.  emergency room records
\          d.  personnel records
\          e.  terminally ill patient records
\          f.  adoption records
\ •        Discuss the access of medical record information by the patient, the physician and others.
\ •        Explain disclosures of the medical record information in the courtroom setting. 
\          Special areas of concern will be:
\          a.  hearsay and the Business Records exception
\          b.  privileged communications
\ •        Discuss the use of physician's office records in the legal process..
\ •        Identify the importance of hospital staff records in the legal process.
\ •        Cite and discuss the liability for the improper disclosure of information.
\ •        Discuss the computerized record as legal evidence.
\ •        Identify and discuss the distinction between uninformed consent & informed consent.
\ •        Demonstrate knowledge of medical records and the hospital risk management program.  This shall be approached through definitions of applied terminology and showing the relationship between Quality Assurance and Risk Management.
\ •         Summarize a basic understanding of the American legal system through the approach of the nature of the law and the organizational structure.
\ •         Define the principles behind hospital and physician liability.
\ •         Discuss the collection practices to be performed in a medical office setting.
\ •         Cite the do's and dont's to the proper hiring practices of the health care field.
\ •         Discuss the ethics and bioethics involved in health care.
\ •         Review 4 case studies by actual viewing of criminal, & civil  court procedures.
\ •         Summarize torts and criminal offenses.
\ •         Discuss the defenses to professional liability suits & one's public duties and  responsibilities.
\ •         Completion of journal assignment dealing with medical law, ethics and bioethics.
\
\ COURSE OBJECTIVES:   
\ The student will obtain a basic knowledge of medical law, ethics, and bioethics, so that the client (patient) may be treated with understanding, sensitivity, and compassion.  The student using this knowledge will be able to provide the best possible service for the physician/employer.
\
\ COURSE GOALS:
\ Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
\ •    Understand and  apply medical law in the maintenance of the patient's (client) medical record.
\ •    Understand and apply medical law in reimbursement issues.
\ •    Understand and apply ethical resolution as it applies to the medical record and reimbursement issues affecting physicians, ambulatory settings, hospitals, and patients.
\ •    Understand the current bioethical issues and/or dilemmas in order to assist the client and physician in the ambulatory setting.
\  

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

\
\ POLICY FOR STUDENTS REQUIRING THEA REMEDIATION:
\ Students that have been identified for THEA-required remediation must, according to Texas State Law, participate continuously in their THEA-remediation courses or they will be withdrawn for ALL course work, including the AH courses, through an administrative withdrawal for THEA non-compliance.  If you have any questions about THEA-remediation, please call the Advising and Counseling Center at 371-5440 or the Allied Health Counselor at 354-6007.
\
\ WITHDRAWING FROM A COURSE:
\ It is the responsibility of the student to officially drop or withdraw from a course.  Failure to officially withdraw may result in the student receiving a grade of “F” in the course.  The student may obtain a withdrawal form from his academic advisor, the counseling center or from the registrar’s office.  It is also the responsibility of the student to take the drop slip to the registrar’s office in order for the student to be officially dropped from a course.  A student may access Web Advisor to withdraw from a course.  Students are not automatically dropped from their class roles as a result on non-attendance.
\
\ STUDENT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE:
\ A student who has a problem with the course or the course instructor should make every attempt to resolve the problem with the course instructor.  If that is not successful, the student may appeal the decision of the instructor to the Program Director, Dean of the Health Sciences Division, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the President -- IN THAT ORDER.   Please refer to the Amarillo College catalog for complete explanation of the grievance procedures.
\
\ CELLULAR TELEPHONES AND PAGERS:
\ Pagers and telephones are disruptive during class time.  Telephones must be turned off during class time with the exception of emergency personnel, pagers must either be turned off or set to vibrate during class time.   Please notify me in writing if you fall in this category, otherwise failure to comply will result in you being asked to leave class for that day.  You will still be responsible for the material covered in class.  If you feel that you will have an emergency during class time, leave the number of the student services office and they will contact you immediately.  The number is 371-5300.
\
\ ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
\ Academic dishonesty shall constitute a violation of the college rules & regulations & is punishable as prescribed by Amarillo College Board policies.  Academic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion.
\  “Cheating on a test” shall include:
\ •    Copying from another student’s test paper.
\ •    Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test.
\ •    Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator/instructor.
\ •    Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of an administered/unadministered test.
\ •    Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one’s self, to take a test.
\ •    Bribing another person to obtain an administered/unadministered test or information about an administered/unadministered test.

\ Using the course textbook or class notes is also cheating when taking an Online Exam.

\ “Plagiarism” shall be defined as the appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another’s work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one’s own written work. 
\
\ “Collusion” shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of course requirements.
\  

Grading Criteria

EVALUATION METHOD:

Quiz & Participation Assignments:

QUIZZES:
Your quizzes will be over the key terms listed at the beginning of each chapter. 
Key term quizzes will be online. 
Formats of the quizzes will be fill-in-the blank or matching. 
The number of questions will vary due to the content of each of the chapters. 
Some chapters will be combined for a quiz. 
Quiz dates will be placed on the announcement page and by e-mails with the online portion of the course.
All quizzes will OPEN @ 6:00pm on the assigned date.
All quizzes will CLOSE @ 11:59pm on the DUE DATE.
NO MAKEUPS on missed quizzes.  
No quiz grade will be dropped. 
Quizzes are worth 15% of your final grade.   
                   
PARTICIPATION GRADES:
It is the responsibility of the student to see that the participation assignments are turned into the instructor on time. 
Due dates will be announced on the announcement page and by e-mails. 
Case studies will also be included in the participation grade. 
There will be Videos viewed online as well as in the classroom. 
Each student will be responsible for answering the questions at the end of the video.
When a video is viewed during a class meeting, an abstract will be due as a participation grade.
NO PARTICIPATION ASSIGNMENT WILL BE ACCEPTED LATE WHATEVER THE REASON(S).
Participation Assignments are included in the Quiz Category for grades:

MAJOR EXAMS:
•    There will be 5 exams, FOUR (4) major exams and a final exam, given in this course. 
•    These exams will be announced during class at least a week in advance of the exam date. 
      Dates of the exams will be given out in class and will be posted on the announcement page and by e-mails.
•    All major exams will be taken on On-line including the final exam.
•    The student will have a 3 day window to take the exam.
•    Time limits will vary depending on the number of questions on an exam.  Time limits will be 50 to 75 minutes.
•    Once an exam is started by the student,  the clock is running, remember you have only the time allowed to complete the exam.
•    As you answer each question, the student must submit the answer and proceed to the next question.
•    When the student is finished with the exam, the student must submit the exam for grading.
•    The student will be able to see their exam score after the exam has been submitted for grading
•    All exams will open @ 6:00 pm and will close @ 11:59pm.  Dates of the online exams will be posted on the announcement page and by e-mails.
•    THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUPS GIVEN FOR ON-LINE EXAMS!
•    MAJOR EXAMS ARE WORTH 25% OF YOUR FINAL GRADE.

Article Critiques:
The student will be responsible for turning in Five (5) article critiques dealing with medical law, ethics, and/or bioethics 
Articles may be selected from abstracts of professional publications (JAMA, American Journal of Nursing, Laboratory Medicine, etc.) using the CINAHL database available in the AC Library Online databases. 
Articles may not be selected from any newspaper or non-professional journals (Reader’s Digest, Prevention Magazine, Redbook, etc.).  Students must include a link to the full text of articles used for this assignment.
     
Critiques should cite the source of the article, and include a summary of the article as well as your opinion of the issues brought forth in the article.  You must have an opinion.  Abstracts  that state that the student has “no opinion “ will receive a zero (0) for the assignment.
The completed assignment should be no less than 1-1/2 pages but no more than 3 pages. 
The selected articles must be on different subjects, for example 5 articles on AIDS would be considered unacceptable and credit for only one (1) article would be given.

Due dates for each article critique will be posted on the course announcement page and by e-mails.
Article critiques will be sent to the instructor by using a dropbox.
Remember plagiarism is a crime.   If you do not understand the article look for a new topic!

Articles abstracts will be worth 15% of the final grade.

FINAL EXAM:
There will be a comprehensive final exam given in this course.
The final exam will be worth 25% of your final grade.
The final exam will be given Online through AC Connect
Time limit for the final will be 2 hours or 120 minutes. 
The dates the final exam will be available will be posted on the course syllabus and announcement page and by e-mails.
Once the final exam is started the clock is running, you cannot pause the final exam, you must complete the final in 2 hours. 
The student will have only 1 attempt to take the final exam.
As you answer each question, the student must submit the answer and proceed to the next question.
When finished with the final exam , the student must submit the final exam for grading.  The student will be able to see the final exam score after the exam has been submitted for grading.

If a student misses the designated time for the final exam, a grade of zero (0) will be given for the exam, unless an incomplete has been granted.
Arrangements to receive an incomplete "I" grade for the course must be made prior to the date of the final exam.
Incompletes are granted only for emergency situations such as hospitalization of the student, serious injury to the student on the day of the final exam, etc.
Incompletes will not be granted for situations involving vacation plans, transportation difficulties, appointments, honeymoons, etc.

GRADING SUMMARY:                                   
Attendance             20% of the final grade          
Quiz/Participation   15% of the final grade          
Major Exams          25% of the final grade           
Abstract Articles     15% of the final grade          
Final Exam             25% of the final grade           
                             100% Final Grade
GRADE SCALE:
A  =  90.0 to 100%
B  =  80.0 to 89.9%
C  =  70.0 to 79.9%
F  =  69.9% or less

Final grades will not be rounded in this course.

Attendance

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

CLASS ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY.  This is a hybrid course which means that we will meet on campus 8 times during the semester.
"Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement.  Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend each class that is scheduled on campus.. "Any student who is chronically late to class or leaves early or is absent more than three (3) times during the course may earn a failing final course grade."

Attendance will be taken.  Two (2) points will be given to all students who sign in on the attendance sheet, who arrive on time to class and who stay for the entire class period.  Students who arrive late or leave early will be awarded only 1 point regardless of the reason.  Students who fail to sign in or who do not attend class will receive no attendance points for that class. 

Class attendance will be worth 20% of the final grade.
 

Calendar

Additional Information

Listed in textbook.

None

Websites listed in the textbook.