Abandonment
A situation in which a health care professional stops caring for a patient without arranging for care by an equally qualified substitute.
Assault
The open threat of bodily harm to another.
Authorization
A form that explains in detail the standards for the use and disclosure of patient information for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health-care operations.
Battery
An action that causes bodily harm to another.
Consent
A voluntary agreement that a patient gives to allow a medically trained person the permission to touch, examine, and perform a treatment.
Contract
A voluntary agreement between two parties in which specifies promises are made.
Defamation
Damaging a person's reputation by making public statements that are both false and malicious.
Disclosure
The release of , the transfer of, the provision of access to, or the divulgence in any manner of patient information.
Discrimination
Unequal and unfair treatment.
Durable Power of Attorney
A document naming the person who will make decisions regarding medical care on behalf of another person if that person becomes unable to do so.
Ethics
General principles of right and wrong, as opposed to requirements of law.
Felony
A serious crime, such as murder or rape, that is punishable by imprisonment. In certain crimes, a felony is punishable by death.
Fraud
An act of deception that is used to take advantage of another person or entity.
Implied Consent
A form of consent which is not expressly granted by aperson, but rather inferredform a person's actions and the facts and circumstances of a particular situation (or in some cases by a person's silence or inaction).
Informed Consent
The patient's right to receive all information relative to his or her condition and then make a decision regarding treatment based upon that knowledge.
Liable
Legally responsible.
Libel
A false publication, as in writing, print, signs, or pictures, that damages a person's reputation.
Living Will
A legal document addressed to a patient's family and health-care providers stating what tpe of treament the patient wishes or does not wish to receive if he becomes terminally ill, unconscious, or permanently comatose; sometimes called an advance directive.
Minors
Anyone under the age of majority - 18 in most states, 21 in some jurisdictions.
Misdemeanor
A less serious crime such as theftunder a certain dollar amount or disturbing the peace. A misdemeanor is punishable by fines or imprisonment.
Negligence
A medical professional's failure to perform an essential action or performance of an improper action that directly results in the harm of a patient.
Protected Health Information (PHI)
Individually identifiable health information that is transmitted or maintained by electronic or other media, such as computer storage devices.
Slander
The speaking of defamatory words intended to prejudice others against an individual in a manner that jeopardizes his or her reputation or means of livelihood.
Sole Proprietorship
A form of medical practice management in which a physician practices alone, assuming all benefits, and liablilities for the business.
Subpoena
A written court order that is addressed to a specific person and requires that person's presence in court on a specific date at a specific time.
Treatment, payment, and operations (TPO)
The portion of HIPPA that allows the provider to use and share patient health-care information for treatment, payment, and operations (such as quality improvement).
Uniform donor card
A legal document that states a person's wish to make a gift upon death of one or more organs for medical research, organ transplants, or placement in a tissue bank.
Void
A term used to describe something that is not legally enforceable.