Evaluate public health policies and practices as they relate to legal and ethical implications for individuals and populations.

Competencies

• Evaluate public health policies and practices as they relate to legal and ethical implications for individuals and populations.
• Analyze health needs, disparities, and healthcare delivery systems within the context of cultural, social, legal, political, and economic forces.
• Examine the structure of the U.S. legal system and government as it relates to ethics, law, and core principles of public health.
• Assess current legal and ethical principles and the application of such principles in healthcare practice.
• Analyze ethical and legal dilemmas that healthcare workers may encounter in the medical field.
• Examine legal requirements for managing patient information, health information documentation, the release of information, and electronic health records.

Scenario

You have recently been promoted to Health Services Manager at Three Mountains Regional Hospital, a small hospital located in a mid-size city in the Midwest. Three Mountains is a general medical and surgical facility with 400 beds. Last year there were approximately 62,000 emergency visits and 15,000 admissions. More than 6,000 outpatient and 10,000 inpatient surgeries were performed.

The CEO and the Board of Directors have tasked you with developing an intake packet for new patients that will help establish patient trust in the facility and its employees. The patient packet will address new patient concerns by including information about HIPAA, informed consent, a confidential health history report, and a living will. The new packet will also include the values of the organization and a code of ethics.

Instructions

You are now ready to take the basic components you have created so far and, using those as a foundation, create the final Intake Packet the hospital will use during admissions. The Intake Packet will be comprised of the following elements:

• A New Patient Letter to accompany the Intake Packet
  • The letter should be in business letter format (Here is a library resource for help writing a business letter.)
  • The letter should address the following points for the patient:
    • An explanation of the importance of ethics
    • Why each part of the packet is included
    • How the packet is to be used
  • The letter should also include a HIPAA/Confidentiality statement
  • The letter should also include a Privacy Pledge

  The Code of Ethics