Ch. 05 Key Terms
Criminal law
What is a branch of public law that attempts to prevent crime by defining the acts or omissions that lead to public disorders and by specifying legal reactions for each of those acts?
Civil law
What are laws and regulations that govern the interactions between private citizens, or in the case of healthcare, between the practitioner and patient?
Torts
What is when a medical professional acts in a negligent manner and injures someone in their care?
Malpractice
What is any act or omission by a physician during treatment of a patient that deviates from accepted norms of practice in the medical community and causes an injury to the patient?
Negligence
What is an act of carelessness, not intent to harm?
Assault and battery
What is assault occurs when one party tries to inflict physical harm onto another, and battery occurs when one actually inflicts physical harm on a person?
Invasion of privacy
What are doctors sharing a patient's medical records with someone who is not authorized to see them is an invasion of privacy through public disclosure of private facts?
False imprisonment
What are intentional acts to restrict a patient's movement unlawfully?
Abuse
What are the actions or inactions of an individual's caregiver or parent inflicting physical, sexual, or emotional harm on the individual.
Defamation
What is the act of a patient or their representative making false statements about a doctor or hospital to a third party.
Slander
What is the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation?
Libel
What is the act of defaming someone's character in writing?
Contract
What are the costs of employer-furnished first aid and medical facilities, including personnel or retainer fees for nurses and physicians that are not allocated to individual claims?
Breach of contract
What is a claim that a doctor has failed to fulfill an agreement with a patient?
Consent form
What is a legal document that a patient signs to give permission for a medical procedure, treatment, clinical trial, or genetic testing?
Ethics
What is a set of principles that guide healthcare professionals in making decisions that benefit their patients and prioritize their well-being?
Power of Attorney
What is a legal document that gives someone the authority to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to do so?
Living Will
What is a legal document that specifies the medical care a person wants to receive if they are unable to make their own decisions due to a terminal illness or permanent unconsciousness?
Denial of Services
What is the act of an insurance company that refuses to pay for a patient's services or products?
Denied Payment
What is the act of a healthcare insurance company that refuses to pay a provider for a patient's services?
Scope of Practice
What is the range of activities they are permitted to perform within their profession?
Termination of Coverage
What is the act of ending a health insurance plan after the first premium payment has been made?
Preexisting Condition
What is a health problem that a person has before they enroll in a new health insurance plan?
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA)
What is a federal law that allows employees and their families to temporarily continue their group health insurance after certain qualifying events?