Law and Ethics in Medicine

Running head : Law and Ethics in Medicine

Law and Ethics in Medicine

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Law and Ethics in Medicine

Introduction

The right to life envelops all the jurisprudential aspects of law and enforcement . The ethical parameters in the right to life are an everyday interaction in any given place , public situation , and personal circumstances . The state protects and preserves the same parlance in a way the government creates and establishes its policies , and as well in the legislative

formulation . Therefore , the right to life is a universal declaration that is fundamental in every law of the land

In the preservation and protection of the right to life , the medical profession has a critical role in promoting the highest ethical standards in treatment . It does not only encompass the medical doctor 's pledge of allegiance to Hippocratic Oath but also the moral act , social responsibility , and promotions of prevailing laws and ethics in medicine . Thus , a state policy abides to the circumstance between doctor and patient relationship , in which the latter seeks to revive life

The rationale of law and ethics in medicine has been implied as a dutiful profession , and the violation is a vicarious liability that needs the application of law and interacting standard care (Wilson 2007 . This rationale may point out on the dependability of patients in medical treatment and healthcare that carry out the government 's fiscal and legal management relating to welfare and services . The federal law in health and medical care provides selective (yet limited ) protections in the aspects of medicine purchasing , health insurance and medical malpractice

This aims to briefly discuss the importance of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA ) relating to law and ethics in medicine

What is HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA ) of 1996 were previously known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum legislation , as it was legislated to provide health and medical insurance coverage to workers . However , the HIPAA has become a comprehensive policy in providing health and medical insurance coverage under US Public Law 104-191 with the following provisions (1 ) Improved efficiency in healthcare delivery by standardizing electronic data interchange , and (2 ) Protection of confidentiality and security of health data through setting and enforcing standards (HIPAA Primer , 2005

In other words , HIPAA is created for improving the retention of employee 's benefits (upon transfer of employment ) and tenure applicability , and entitlement to healthcare insurance . Likewise , HIPAA is commissioned to regulate the healthcare business as a growing industry that could be susceptible to fraud , misuse and abuse . In sum HIPAA enacts in protecting the beneficiaries while administering the functions of healthcare insurance system to ensure HIPAA compliance

HIPAA privacy policy

According to HIPAA Primer , healthcare beneficiaries are not prohibited to access their medical records . In fact , the HIPAA stipulates the protection of privacy in safekeeping of records , which is exemplified by the attending physician 's safekeeping of patient 's information relating to health history and diagnosis , to name a...