INSTRUCTOR’S APPROACH TO COURSE: This course focuses on the theory and knowledge and application of Law & Ethics in the Medical field.  We will learn about the principles governing release of patient information and confidentiality issues associated with such releases of information.  Topics covered in this course will include laws and regulations governing medical ethics, HIPAA, and confidentiality.
–          In this course a variety of learning and assessment skills will be used, including the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of Law & Ethics as it applies to you, the Medical student.
–          We will compile an Ethics project to culminate your understanding and analysis of workplace communication in various healthcare systems using specific scholarly works located in Bryant & Stratton’s Virtual Library.
–          The fundamentals of confidentially, communication and laws will be discussed using lectures, group discussions, peer activities and classroom demonstrations. Students will provide oral feedback in the form of constructive criticism and positive reinforcement of their peers.
–          Students will be able to track their own progress as we discuss healthcare issues and peer review assessments are completed.  Students will be able to assess how they think about a certain ethical issue, how they developed that opinion and what values are applied when treating a patient involving that specific ethical issue.  The student will engage in a thoughtful process and reflection about how this certain ethical issue applies to them, the student.
–          Students will have access to videos and movies depicting ethical and legal issue documentaries to aid in their learning.  Reflection of past healthcare experiences will be discussed during the course and comparison of the student’s experiences with the videos will take place.   One such specific video being shown to the class includes: Sick around America, a PBS Frontline documentary.
–          Students will have opportunities to reflect on their own values and consider the thinking process they used to apply those values during class, and assessments. Students will then revisit these processes and devise plans for visualizing and applying appropriate behaviors in the course of employment as medical assistants and medical administrative assistants
–          We will have opportunities for medical community involvement, peer review and group discussions.
Introduction to Health Care is a course intended to assist you in developing the professionalism needed to be a successful member of the health care team.  These skills are as important as the hands-on administrative and clinical skills learned in your other courses.
In addition to developing your professional skills, my goal for you in this course is to increase your awareness of how current health care issues affect your life as a consumer economically, politically, and ethically.

Degree Program Title    Program Outcomes (Discipline and Institutional)
Medical Assisting
Associate of Applied Science Degree
MATG    •    Communicate effectively, utilizing content knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology.
•    Demonstrate and practice behavior consistent with the legal and ethical standards of the profession, including working efficiently and collaboratively in a team setting.
•    Using standard safety and risk-reduction precautions, demonstrate administrative and clinical skills to the AAMA entry-level competency standards.
•    Calculate and administer medications as directed by a licensed physician.
•    Utilize appropriate current technology and resources to locate and evaluate information needed to accomplish a goal, and then communicate findings in visual, written and/or oral formats.
•    Transfer knowledge, skills and behaviors acquired through formal and informal learning and life experiences to new situations.
•    Employ strategies for reflection on learning and practice in order to adjust learning processes for continual improvement.
•    Follow established methods of inquiry and mathematical reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.
•    Participate in social, learning, and professional communities for personal and career growth.
•
Medical Administrative Assistant
Associate of Applied Science Degree
MAAT    •    Apply coding, billing, records management and scheduling skills to administrative healthcare industry standards.
•    Practice professional interpersonal relations with diverse patient/client customers, using knowledge of medical/legal and ethical issues.
•    Perform diverse administrative responsibilities including the management and processing of information and the organization and design of communication procedures.
•    Utilize appropriate current technology and resources to locate and evaluate information needed to accomplish a goal, and then communicate findings in visual, written and/or oral formats.
•    Transfer knowledge, skills and behaviors acquired through formal and informal learning and life experiences to new situations.
•    Employ strategies for reflection on learning and practice in order to adjust learning processes for continual improvement.
•    Follow established methods of inquiry and mathematical reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.
•    Participate in social, learning, and professional communities for personal and career growth.
Health Services Administration
Bachelor of Science Degree
HSAD    •    Analyze and apply contemporary knowledge and skill sets to work effectively in a managerial capacity in a health services setting.
•    Utilize effective skills in financial planning, long-term care management, human resource development, public safety, and emergency disaster planning in health service administration.
•    Evaluate and apply leadership skills.
•    Use legal and ethical principles to analyze and apply management practices of health care organizations and delivery of patient care.
•    Research information management systems to evaluate and select technologies appropriate to a particular healthcare setting.
•    Utilize appropriate current technology and resources to locate and evaluate information needed to accomplish a goal, and then communicate findings in visual, written and/or oral formats.
•    Transfer knowledge, skills and behaviors acquired through formal and informal learning and life experiences to new situations.
•    Employ strategies for reflection on learning and practice in order to adjust learning processes for continual improvement.
•    Follow established methods of inquiry and mathematical reasoning to form conclusions and make decisions.
•    Participate in social, learning, and professional communities for personal and career growth.

ALL COURSE OUTCOMES for this course will be addressed.  Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
•    Demonstrate effective interpersonal skills with patients, recognizing cultural and group diversity and individual needs.
•    Identify respective roles of allied health professionals.
•    Describe the legal and ethical aspects of health information and care.
•    Monitor the release of information to ensure confidentiality of patient related data.
•    Identify basic principles of psychology and developmental stages of the life cycle.
•    Discuss hereditary, cultural and environmental influences on behavior and patient care.

MEDICAL ASSISTING STUDENTS ONLY_MAERB CORE CURRICULUM
Each psychomotor and affective competency must be successfully completed with a passing score of 100% in order to earn a passing grade for this course. Cognitive competencies must be passed with a C or better in order to earn a passing grade for the course.
MAERB Outcomes for this course:
Concepts of Effective Communication IV C:
1.    Identify styles and types of verbal communication.
2.    Identify non-verbal communication.
3.    Recognize communication barriers.
4.    Identify techniques for overcoming communication barriers.
5.    Recognize the elements of oral communication using a sender-receiver process.
7.    Identify resources and adaptations that are required based on individual needs, i.e., culture and environment, developmental life stages, language and physical threat to communication.
13.    Identify the role of self-boundaries in the health care environment.
14.    Recognize the role of patient advocacy in the practice of medical assisting.
15.    Discuss the role of assertiveness in effective professional communication.
16.    Differentiate between adaptive and non-adaptive coping mechanisms.
Concepts of Effective Communication IV A:
6.    Demonstrate awareness of how an individual’s personal appearance affects anticipated responses.
10.    Demonstrate respect for individual diversity, incorporating awareness of one’s own biases in areas including gender, race, religion, age and economic status.
Legal Implications IX C:
1.    Discuss legal scope of practice for medical assistants.
2.    Explore issue of confidentiality as it applies to the medical assistant.
3.    Describe the implication s of HIPAA for the medical assistant in various medical settings.
4.    Summarize the Patient bill of Rights.
5.    Discuss licensure and certification as it applies to healthcare providers.
6.    Describe the liability, professional, personal injury and third party insurance.
7.    Compare and contrast physician and medical assistant roles in terms of standards of care.
8.    Compare criminal and civil law as it applies to the practicing medical assistant.
9.    Provide an example of tort law as it would apply to medical assistant.
10.    Explain how the following impact the medical assistant’s practice and give examples:
a.    Negligence
b.    Malpractice
c.    Statute of Limitations
d.    Good Samaritan Act (s)
e.    Uniform Anatomical Gift Act
f.    Living will/Advanced directives
g.    Medical durable power of attorney
11.    Identify how the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to the medical assisting profession.
12.    List and discuss legal and illegal interview questions.
13.    Discuss all levels of governmental legislation and regulation as they apply to medical assisting, including FDA and DEA regulations.
14.    Describe the process to follow if an error is made in patient care.
Legal Implications IX P:
1.    Respond to issues of confidentiality
2.    Perform within scope of practice
3.    Apply HIPAA rules in regard to privacy/release of information
4.    Practice within standard of care for medical assistant
5.    Incorporate the Patient’s Bill of Rights into personal practice and medical office policies and procedures.
8.    Apply local, state and federal healthcare legislation and regulation appropriate to the medical assisting practice setting.
Legal Implications IX A:
1.    Demonstrate sensitivity to patient rights
2.    Demonstrate awareness of the consequences of not working within the legal scope of practice
3.    Recognize the importance of local, state and federal legislation and regulations in the practice setting
Ethical Considerations X C:
1.    Differentiate between legal, ethical, and moral issues affecting healthcare
2.    Compare personal, professional and organizational ethics
3.    Discuss the role of cultural, social and ethnic diversity in ethical performance of medical assisting practice
4.    Identify where to report illegal and/or unsafe activities and behaviors that affect health, safety and welfare of others.
5.    Identify the effect personal ethics may have on professional performance
Ethical Considerations X P
1.    Report illegal and/or unsafe activities and behaviors that affect health, safety, and welfare of others to proper authorities
2.    Develop a plan for separation of personal and professional ethics
Ethical Considerations X A
1.    Apply ethical behaviors, including honesty/integrity in performance of medical assisting practice
2.    Examine the impact personal ethics and morals may have on the individual’s practice
3.    Demonstrate awareness of diversity in providing patient care
MEDICAL ASSISTING STUDENTS ONLY_MAERB COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS
Psychomotor & Affective Competencies (These are designated with a P or an A) 100% accurate completion in order to pass course regardless of overall grade.   Late Competencies will not be accepted after wk. 14 of term.  Completed competencies are reviewed by Medical Program Director periodically throughout term.
Cognitive Competencies (These are designated with a C) >70% overall accurate completion (late submission penalty included in overall grade), in order to pass course regardless of overall grade.    Late Competencies will not be accepted after wk. 14 of term.  Completed competencies are reviewed by Medical Program Director periodically throughout term.
All Psychomotor & Affective Competencies are to be signed and dated (current term) by instructor, student signs and dates when deemed competent by instructor.  Completed competencies are reviewed by Medical Program Director periodically throughout term.
WORKPLACE READINESS
Key Capabilities –
•    Team Work Capabilities: Tolerance/Communication/Attitude
•    Service Orientation Capabilities: Interpersonal Skills/Perseverance
•    Managerial Potential Capabilities: Enthusiasm /Problem Solving/Persuasion
•    Work Discipline Capabilities: Productivity/Dependability
•    Literacy Capabilities:  Information/Technological

CAREERS CONNECT
Class discussion will be used to connect the knowledge, skills and behaviors, developed in this course, to the workplace and draw attention to the specific workplace readiness capabilities emphasized in this course.

REQUIRED MEDIA
~LAW AND ETHICS BUNDLE: Ed 5, McGraw Hill
ISBN 9780077946692
~Therapeutic Communication for Health Professionals: Ed. 3, McGraw
0073402087
~Health Care Practice: HIPAA Health CD ROM: Ed. 2,
Pearson
ISBN:  0132154889

DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT
The diagnostic assessment will be given the first or second day of class.  This is not a graded test; it gives the instructor an opportunity to see what background knowledge students possess.  The results give the instructor an idea of where to begin and how quickly to cover the material.

Bryant & Stratton College Grading System –

CLASS PARTICIPATION & PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR
Bryant & Stratton College is a premier College and prides itself on the quality of its graduates.  Practice Professional readiness during the class prepares graduates for real-world situation.  Please review the class participation rubric detailing how this grade is calculated.

PROJECT-COGNITIVE COMPETENCY 15% Twelve (12) individual competencies as well as a project including 4 additional for a total of 16 are to be completed no later than week 14.  Late competencies will not be accepted after week 14.  Late competencies will receive a 10 point penalty.

PSYCHOMOTOR & AFFECTIVE COMPETENCIES, 10% MEDICAL ASSISTING STUDENTS ONLY_*100% on each to pass course
Sixteen (16) individual competencies are to be completed no later than week 14.  Competencies are to be typed and submitted through Engrade-turn-in, unless otherwise directed by instructor.  Late competencies will not be accepted after week 14.
HIPAA Certification5%
This assignment requires the CD-ROM purchased with the textbook bundle.  Please refer to the assignment and rubric for more information. CAREER CONNECT

HOMEWORK
Homework assignments can be found on the tracking calendar and Engrade.  These assignments may include, but are not limited to: reading assigned textbook chapters and supplemental reading, chapter review questions, case studies, competencies, etc.  The assignments are to reinforce classroom lessons and provide the additional learning focus required by the student for successful completion of the course.