CHAP Healthcare Ethics & Legal Standards Flashcards

What does 'negligence' mean in the context of healthcare malpractice?

Answer: Failure to meet the standard of care that a reasonably competent provider would provide, resulting in harm

Negligence in healthcare occurs when a provider fails to meet the accepted standard of care, and that failure directly causes harm to the patient.

What is the primary purpose of a healthcare organization's ethics committee?

Answer: To provide consultation and policy guidance on complex ethical issues in patient care

Ethics committees provide consultation, education, and policy development to help clinicians, patients, and families navigate complex ethical dilemmas in patient care.

Which principle of healthcare ethics means 'do no harm'?

Answer: Nonmaleficence

Nonmaleficence is the ethical obligation to avoid causing harm to patients, often expressed as the Hippocratic principle 'primum non nocere' (first, do no harm).

What is a 'living will' in healthcare?

Answer: An advance directive specifying a patient's wishes regarding medical treatment if they become incapacitated

A living will is an advance directive that documents a person's wishes about specific medical treatments (such as life support) if they become unable to communicate those decisions.

Under the False Claims Act, what are healthcare organizations prohibited from doing?

Answer: Knowingly submitting false or fraudulent claims for payment to federal healthcare programs

The False Claims Act prohibits knowingly submitting false, fraudulent, or inflated claims for payment to federal healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

What does 'respondeat superior' mean in healthcare liability?

Answer: Employers are legally responsible for negligent acts of employees performed within the scope of their employment

Respondeat superior ('let the master answer') is a legal doctrine holding employers vicariously liable for the negligent acts of their employees committed within the scope of employment.