US Office of Government Ethics
Exercises leadership in executive branch to prevent conflicts of interest, resolve conflicts, fosters high ethical standards, and strengthen public confidence in govt business.
House of Representatives Committee on Ethics
Designated the supervising ethics office for the HoR, membership divided evenly by party
A Principle of Law
No one can lawfully do that which tends to be injurious to the public
14th Amendment to the US Constitution
State you cannot deny any person equal protection of the law, shall not make or enforce any law which shall abridge privileges or immunities of citizens, shall not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, and shall not deny any person equal protection of laws
Civil Rights act of 1964
Prohibited racial discrimination
Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
Makes it illegal to have contracts that restrain trade. Aims to reduce marked competition, fixed pricing, preferred provider arrangements, and exclusive contracts
Privacy act of 1974
Safeguards individual privacy, provides individuals access to records, and established the privacy proteection safety commission
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
Designed to protect the privacy, confidentiality, and security of patient information, applicable to all formats of health information (Electronic, paper, verbal)
Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act (MTALA)
Hospital emergency departments are required to provide appropriate medical screening exam, "stabilize" the pt, cannot dump them on other hospitals
Health Care Quality Improvement Act
Benchmarks that hospitals need to meet in order to maintain quality and reimbursement.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Improves the quality of health care, reduces costs, and broadens access to essential services
Ethics in Patient Referral Act
Requires dislosure of any interest or compensation interests between physicians and labs/other providers
Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990
Right to be informed of rights, execute advance directives, accept/refuse medical care, provide description of state laws regarding advance directives to providers, and ensure written policies and procedures regarding advances directives are established
Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002
Self-regulation, "promoting due diligence", provides sweeping new legal protection for employees who report corporate misconduct