HCS 335 Entire Course

HCS 335 Syllabus

Week 1 Individual Assignment: Health Care Ethics Matching Exercise

• Complete the Health Care Ethics Matching Exercise, located on your student website.
• Match keywords commonly used in health care ethics to the definitions on the page. Discuss the exercise in class and turn in your answer sheet to your facilitator.

Week 1 DQs

• How has your educational experience affected your ethical thinking?
• Are laws and regulations the problem or the solution in addressing ethical problems? Explain. What would be an alternative?
• How might you analyze your own dilemmas in terms of your own ethics?
• How are some problem-solving methodologies applied in the health care industry?

Week 2 Individual Assignment: Ethics Case Study

• Resource: Ethics Case Study Grading Criteria on your student website.
• Read the case study in Ch. 4 of Medical Law and Ethics that begins, “Jerry McCAll is Dr. William’s office assistant.”
• Prepare a 700- to 1050-word paper in which you answer the following questions:

o   Does Jerry’s medical training qualify him to issue this refill order? Why or why not?

o   Would it make a difference if the medication requested were for control of high blood pressure that the patient critically needs on a daily basis? Why or why not?

o   If Jerry calls in the refill and the patient has an adverse reaction while flying, is Jerry protected from a lawsuit under the doctrine of respondent superior?

o   What is your advice to Jerry?

o   Identify major legal and ethical issues that may affect Jerry’s decision.

o   What problem-solving methods might be helpful to assist in making an ethical decision?

• Include at least two sources in your paper.

·         Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines

Week 2 DQs

• Does a professional code determine what is ethically correct for those who are not members, or only for members?
• What challenges of organizational ethics are unique to a health care organization?
• Are the concepts of autonomy, justice, and beneficence, or similar concepts, useful for analysis of organizational ethics?
• What role do mission and values statements play in organizational ethics? What role should they play?

Week 3 Learning Team Assignment: Code of Ethics Paper

• Resource: Code of Ethics Paper Grading Criteria on your student website.
• Research and select a health care organization in which you locate the mission statement, its code of ethics, and core values.
• Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you discuss ethics in a health care organization. Include the following:

o   What are the organization’s goals? How are they tied to its ethical principles? Describe the role and importance of the corporation’s ethical values.

o   What is the relationship between the organization’s culture and ethical decision-making?

o   Is it important that the organization’s ethical values support your ethical values? Explain.

o   Is there a social responsibility for the organization in the community? Explain and provide examples.

• Include at least three sources in your paper.
• Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week 3 DQs

• How might health care managers become sensitive to administrative ethical issues?
• What are the roles ethics committees and institutional compliance offices play in administrative ethical issues?
• Should IECs act as institutional watchdogs? Why or why not?
• What are managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues, such as patient confidentiality (HIPAA)?

Week 4 Individual Assignment: Administrative Ethics Paper

• Resource: Administrative Ethics Paper Grading Criteria on your student website.
• Find a current administrative issue in a newspaper, magazine, or journal article relating to topics such as patient privacy, confidentiality, or HIPAA.
• Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper that includes the following:

o   Describe the issue and its impact on the population it affects most.

o   What arguments or facts are used in the article to support the proposed solution?

o   What are the ethical and legal issues reported for your administrative issue?

o   Explain the managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues. If none were stated, what should have been done?

o   Identify any proposed solutions.

o   Be prepared to discuss your findings in class.

• Include at least three sources in your paper.
• Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Week 4 DQs

•         Must physicians meet their patients’ demands for aid in dying through active means?

•         Do patients who cannot assist in suicide have a right to voluntary active euthanasia?

•         What are some ethical issues related to releasing medical records to third parties?

•         What are some ethical dilemmas in selling organs and organ donation?

Week 5 Learning Team Assignment: Biomedical Presentation

Your team has been assigned to give a presentation to your organization’s board of ethics. The team will discuss a current biomedical issue that faces your organization and its social responsibility toward the issue.

•         Resource: Biomedical Presentation Grading Criteria on your student website.

•         Prepare a 10- to 12-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation that discusses the biomedical issue. Include the following:

o   Describe a biomedical issue, such as stem cell research, cloning, privacy issues in research, harvesting embryos, quality-of-life issues, and so forth.

o   What is the historical and current impact of the biomedical issue?

o   Forecast the potential future of the issue and how might it change.

o   What issues involve problems with consent?

o   Explain the organization’s ethical and social responsibility toward the community and its stakeholders.

•         Include at least three sources in your presentation.

•         Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.