The Ama Code Of Ethics : Universal Health Care Access

One of the major areas of strength of the AMA Code of Ethics is the principle that outlines that the physician must “regard responsibility to the patient as paramount” (American Medical Association, n.d., par. 9). This principle outlines that importance of putting the patient first in all care aspects when working with a patient. Along with this, other principles set forth in the AMA Code of Ethics, while involving other aspects of care, state that the rights of the patient shall be acknowledged and followed during patient care. It is very important that healthcare codes of ethics are clear in defining that the patient needs to be considered first and foremost.

One of the main ethical issues that faces health care is the security of patient information. This information is protected by laws and regulations such as HIPPA, but there are still concerns Scott, et al, 2005). Among those concerns is the new concept of electronic patient records and information. These records are designed to help hospitals and doctors get patient information more quickly, so that patients can receive treatment as soon as possible. Unfortunately, anything kept and transmitted on a computer has the potential to be hacked, so that is a serious concern for patients. Not all patients want their medical records to be available electronically, but they may not have too many options (Romano & Stafford, 2010). Opting out may not be an option for them, and if they do have that option it could reduce the speed and quality of treatment that these patients would receive. Do they want to risk that, just so they can feel as though their medical information is better protected?

17. Pellegrino argues for a three-tiered system of obligations incumbent upon physicians. They are in ascending order of ethical sensitivity.

According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the Affordable care Act from President Obama gives consumers more options and benefits when seeking coverage from insurance company. It offers lowering cost as well as gets more access to high quality of care. This law creates Patient’s Bill of Rights that is very effective to protect consumers from any abuses or fraud from insurance company. Some preventive services are available to many Americans especially Medicare recipients at no cost. Not just that, they also receive a special offer of 50 percent discount for any well-known drugs in the market place under Medicare named “donut hole.” The Affordable Care Act helps other organizations and programs to convince healthcare providers

Edmund Pellegrino’s account of virtue based ethics practiced by a physician reaches an extremely high moral standard and involves the expression, at the highest level, of benevolence, temperance, fidelity to trust, integrity, justice and compassion which goes over and above what is strictly required of a physician; whereas, legal and rights-based ethical conceptions involve a physician adhering to the duties imposed on them by the laws of the land-such as physician licensure, good Samaritan laws, anti-discrimination laws, etc., and medical ethics codes and duties which are more obligations and duties to what strict ethics spells out.

If you were to compare the AMA code of medical ethics to the APHA code of public health ethics, there most definitely would be conflicts. As mentioned, medical ethics looks at the individual and public health ethics deals with the population. One example of this conflict could be in AIDS testing. The individual's right to privacy and confidentiality must be maintained, while the need for public health, such as notifying their partners to prevent further spreading of the disease (Williams & Torrens, 2008).

Even though everyone seemed to agree and felt the same way about the situation, it was difficult to rationalize or logically defend what we felt was the right thing to do, which would involve breaking patient confidentiality. Some of the principles that we thought could be used to defend our position were beneficence, non-maleficence, and utilitarianism. Going back to the Dr. Pellegrino’s article, the population-based ethics, in which the physician takes the role of a social servant for the good of the society, could also be used to defend our position. This discussion served as a motivation to not just learn the ethical principles, but also to become more knowledgeable in how to apply the ethical principles to different situations. It also encouraged me to develop the virtue of prudence in order to be prepared for the tricky situations that may arise in clinical

Preventive care. Individuals may not have to pay a copayment, co-insurance, or deductible to receive recommended preventive health services, such as screenings

At the start of this this course, I did not think much of how bioethics and legal medicine were connected. Week after week I am beginning to understand how important it is to evolve into a society with guidelines to better serve not only physicians but, all patients as well. In “Medical and Ethical Encounters” by John R. Carlisle, he enlightens us on how in actuality, good practice in law and medicine, is the gateway to superior health care in the united states. In the mid-1970s Beauchamp and Childress formulated a statement known as “the four principles of bioethics. Autonomy of a person to have his say respected by the physician is vital. Beneficence, to always promote health and wellbeing ultimately with an outcome of good over bad. Nonmalfeasance

Nurses are constantly challenged by changes which occur in their practice environment and are under the influence of internal or external factors. Due to the increased complexity of the health system, nowadays nurses are faced with ethical and legal decisions and often come across dilemmas regarding patient care. From this perspective a good question to be raised would be whether or not nurses have the necessary background, knowledge and skills to make appropriate legal and ethical decisions. Even though most nursing programs cover the ethical and moral issues in health care, it is questionable if new nurses have the depth of knowledge and understanding of these issues and apply them in their practice

Healthcare Ethics: My Sister’s Keeper There were a lot of ethical debates within the movie My Sister’s Keeper. From Kate’s familial issues to the health care statements and decisions throughout the film. Organ donation is a very sensitive area to deal with especially with a family donor. In my opinion, they should have honestly asked Kate what she wanted.

It is important that we act in a way that is ethical, legal, and commendable. Medical professionals struggle with healthcare dilemmas that are not experienced by the general public. Medical-ethical decisions have become increasingly complicated with the advancement of medical science and technology. (Fremgen) Just like the government has laws for citizens, not having laws in healthcare would allow people to do anything they want. It is important that we study the ethics and laws of healthcare, because if we were put in a situation it is essential that we know the difference between right and wrong. In the article I found, it talks about a nurse who refuses to give CPR to an older woman who collapsed in a senior residence where she works. This article has many more ethical issues than legal issues.

Today, physicians still recite the Hippocratic Oath as a reminder of what the expectations are and what they’re accountable to, also with HIPAA being a fully forced regulation within the healthcare industry, confidentiality is of the utmost importance. Moreover, beneficence which promotes the “measures to benefit the sick” and nonmaleficence will keep the patient “from harm and injustice” (McWay, 2014).

Everyday, healthcare professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas in their workplace. These ethical dilemmas need to be addressed in order to provide the best care for the patient. Healthcare professionals have to weigh their own personal beliefs, professional beliefs, ethical understandings, and several other factors to decide what the best care for their patient might be. This is illustrated in Mrs. Smith’s case. Mrs. Smith is an 85 year old who has suffered from a large stroke that extends to both of her brains hemispheres which has left her unconscious. She only has some brain stem reflexes and requires a ventilator for support. She is unable to communicate how she wishes to proceed with her healthcare. Mrs. Smith’s children, Sara and Frank have different views regarding their mother’s plan of care. The decision that needs to be made is whether to prolong Mrs. Smith’s life, as Sara would like to do, or stop all treatments and care, as Frank feels his mother would want. In the healthcare field, there are situations similar to this case that happen daily where moral and ethical judgment is necessary to guide the decision that would be best for the patient. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss, compare and contrast the personal and professional values, ethical principles, and legal issues regarding Mrs. Smith’s quality of life and further plan of care.

For years, it has been assumed by the vast majority of health care experts that everyone knows the guiding principle of ethics in healthcare. Everyone agrees that this guiding principle has the solid endorsement of the majority of the population. These presumptions are accepted with almost no contention or debate. In Justice in Medicine and Public Health, Rosamund Rhodes argues that “no single conception of justice explains the array of broadly endorsed medical and public health policies.” This thought challenges the classical approach of defining or defending one accurate view of justice in medicine. There are many different views of justice in health care that have been developed and debated. However, it is clear that no one view of the distribution of the scarce resources and services fits every situation.