MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care

Course Description

This course provides an analysis of the legal aspects of health care delivery and the impact on health care institutions.

Students will examine tort law, professional liability, cost controls, liability insurance, antitrust, and health care access.

Course Textbook

Pozgar, G. (2012). Legal aspects of health care administration (11th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Analyze law, ethics, bioethics, and related dilemmas in the health care environment.

2. Identify the sources and classifications of laws as well as the structure of the U.S. court system.

3. Describe the role of the medical practice acts, licensure, and laws designed specifically for the healthcare

environment.

4. Explain the features of managed care and federal assistance programs.

5. Examine the rights and responsibilities of the patient, physician, and medical practice.

6. Discuss the characteristics of negligence and the tort of negligence, malpractice, and professional liability.

7. Interpret issues concerning public health information, vital statistics, abuse reporting, and management of

controlled substances.

8. Examine laws designed to protect the healthcare worker, the environment, and the healthcare consumer.

9. Explain the purpose, contents, and ownership of the medical record.

10. Describe the objectives, implementation, and concerns associated with HIPAA.

11. Identify issues related to key bioethical areas including organ transplants, contraception, sterilization, artificial

insemination, surrogate motherhood, genetics, and abortion.

12. Articulate issues surrounding death and dying including its five stages, euthanasia, advance directives, viatical

settlements, and end of life care.

Credits

Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit.

Course Structure

1. Unit Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and

knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit.

2. Unit Lesson: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses lesson material.

3. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook.

Chapter presentations are provided in each unit study guide as Suggested Reading to aid students their course of

study.

4. Learning Activities (Non-Graded): These non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their

course of study.

5. Unit Assessments: This course contains eight Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of each unit.

Assessments are composed of written response questions.

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations

of Health Care

Course Syllabus

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care 2

6. Unit Assignment: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units I and VIII. Specific

information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with

the Unit I and VIII Assignments. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.

7. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or

course content related questions.

8. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates.

Unit Assignments

Unit I Case Study

In this unit, we have discussed negligence and tort law in the healthcare field. Using your favorite search engine (such as

http://www.scholar.google.com), locate a case study involving one or both of these topics. Once you have read the case,

you will compose a paper consisting of a minimum of three pages. Your paper should consist of the following:

 Details of the case

 Summary of each side’s argument during the case

 Summary of the ruling in the case

Which party in the case had the best legal argument? Why? What were the pros and cons of each side’s argument? MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care

All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have

accompanying citations. Any references or citations used should be in APA style.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

Unit VIII Course Project

The course project provides you with an opportunity to choose one medical law or medical ethics issue of special

interest and to study that issue at a deeper level for further understanding and application. This five to seven page

(double-spaced) paper must critically analyze the issues related to the selected topic, with the textbook, web

resources, and professional journal articles (which may also be found online) being utilized to complete the project.

Please be sure to cite all references using APA format to avoid plagiarism. The paper must be submitted in APA

format. Please contact the Student Success Center for complimentary assistance with APA formatting and writing

tutoring.

In your Course Project, be sure to include:

 Description of your selected issue

 Discussion of how the issue impacts healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations

 Impact of your selected issue on patients and families

 Critical analysis of the issue, including at least one specific case example

 Significance of the issue to the practice of healthcare administration

 Recommendations for approaches to deal with the issue

Possible Course Project Issues:

 Medicare-funded organ transplants

 Medicaid-funded organ transplants

 Death with Dignity Act of Oregon

 Genetic engineering

 Institutional review boards and medical research

 Hospital ethics committees – roles and responsibilities

 Medical staff credentialing

 Disruptive physicians

 Living wills

 Durable power of attorney for healthcare

 Ethics of managed care

 Legal aspects of managed care

 Universal healthcare – Is it right for America?

 Cost-shifting in healthcare

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care

 The Joint Commission – role in healthcare

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 The Joint Commission – alternatives

 Patient safety in healthcare

 Complementary and alternative healthcare – ethical issues

 Complementary and alternative healthcare – legal issues

 Nursing practice – ethical issues

 Nursing practice – legal issues

 Allied health practice – ethical issues

 Allied health practice – legal issues

 Medical practice – ethical issues

 Medical practice – legal issues

 New reproductive technology – ethical issues

 New reproductive technology – legal issues

 Landmark cases – Select any one landmark case in healthcare law and present your own summary of the

facts, issue, finding and reason. Critically analyze the case, and explain your agreement or disagreement with

the court’s finding.

 Other topics – The course project can certainly be completed on another issue not listed above. If you are

selecting a topic which is not listed above, please obtain approval from your professor before beginning your

work.

The Course Project is worth 100 points and is due by the end of Unit VIII.

Information about accessing the Blackboard Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below.

CSU Online Library

There is a virtual library with resources, including both journals and ebooks, to support your program and your course at

Columbia Southern University. eResources are accessible 24 hours a day/7 days a week from the CSU Online Library

gateway page. To access the library, log into myCSU, and then click on CSU Online Library. Resources are organized in

the library by title, but if you click on Research Guides, you will find eResources arranged by subject.

The Library Reference service is available 7 days a week; you can reach CSU’s virtual librarians by e-mailing

thevirtuallibrarian@columbiasouthern.edu. These professional librarians will be glad to help you develop your research

plan or to assist you in any way in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information.

Librarian responses may occur within minutes or hours, but it will never take more than 24 hours for a librarian to send

a response to the e-mail address you have provided. Replies to reference requests may include customized keyword

search strategies, links to videos, research guides, screen captures, attachments, a phone call, live screen sharing,

meeting room appointments, and other forms of instruction.

APA Guidelines

CSU requires that students use APA style for papers and projects. Therefore, the APA rules for formatting, quoting,

paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. Students can find CSU’s Citation Guide in the myCSU

Student Portal by clicking on the “Citation Resources” link in the “Learning Resources” area of the myCSU Student Portal.

This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success

Center.

Grading Rubrics

This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each

rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each

level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your

efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics

because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.

Rubric categories include: (1) Assessment (Written Response) and (2) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of

the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments).

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care 4

The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit

Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.

Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics

are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the

Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be

submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting “Tools” and then “My Grades.”

Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your

Assessments and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.

Communication Forums

These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students.

Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in

the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below.

Once you have completed Unit VIII, you MUST unsubscribe from the forum; otherwise, you will continue to

receive e-mail updates from the forum. You will not be able to unsubscribe after your course end date.

Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.

Ask the Professor

This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions.

Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration,

additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.

Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal

accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a nonpublic

nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the

professor within 48 hours.

Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus,

assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.

Student Break Room

This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should

always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to

share assessment answers.

Grading

Unit Assessments (8 @ 5%) = 40%

Unit I Case Study = 20%

Unit VIII Course Project = 40%

Total =100%

Course Schedule/Checklist (PLEASE PRINT)

The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule,

you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care 5

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care Course Schedule

By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. Please keep

this schedule for reference as you progress through your course.

Unit I Introduction to Health Law

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 1: Reflections on the Past

 Chapter 2: Introduction to the Legal System

 Chapter 3: Tort Law

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

 Case Study

Notes/Goals:

Unit II Criminal and Civil Law in Health Care

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 4: Criminal Aspects of Health Care

 Chapter 5: Contracts and Antitrust

 Chapter 6: Civil Procedure and Trial Practice

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

Notes/Goals:

Unit III Medical Staff and Nursing Law

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 7: Corporate Structure and Legal Issues

 Chapter 8: Medical Staff

 Chapter 9: Nursing and the Law

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

Notes/Goals:

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MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care Course Schedule

Unit IV Allied Health, Information and Informed Consent

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 10: Allied Professionals Legal Issues

 Chapter 11: Information Management

 Chapter 12: Patient Consent

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

Notes/Goals:

Unit V Legal Reporting and Patient Rights

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 13: Legal Reporting Requirements

 Chapter 14: Patient Rights and Responsibilities

 Chapter 15: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

Notes/Goals:

Unit VI Healthcare Ethics and End-of-Life Decisions

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 16: Healthcare Ethics

 Chapter 17: Procreation and Ethical Dilemmas

 Chapter 18: End-of-Life Decisions

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

Notes/Goals:

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MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care Course Schedule

Unit VII Professional Liability and Employee Relations

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 19: Professional Liability Insurance

 Chapter 20: Labor Relations

 Chapter 21: Employee Discipline and Discharge

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

Notes/Goals:

Unit VIII Employee Rights, Managed Care and Patient Safety

Review:  Unit Study Guide

 Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide

Read:

 Chapter 22: Employee Rights and Responsibilities

 Chapter 23: Managed Care

 Chapter 24: Tort Reform and Risk Reduction

 Chapter 25: Patient Safety and Zero Tolerance

 Suggested Reading: See Study Guide

Submit:  Assessment

 Course Project

Notes/Goals:

MHA 5101, Legal Foundations of Health Care