The Role of Courts

The Role of Courts

Until recently, decisions about the withdrawal or withholding of death-delaying treatment were debated by ethicists and civil libertarians but were not a fundamental problem for practicing physicians. Decisions were made, the courts were seldom involved, and there were few malpractice lawsuits or criminal prosecutions. While it is tempting to assume that this benign neglect of the law can continue without risk, it is a badly premised assumption. The historical societal premise in critical care medicine was that health care providers would do everything possible for the patient.

With the advent of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) and other forms of prospective payment, the general public is beginning to be concerned that health care providers are doing less for patients for whom it is financially rewarding to do less. This erosion of public confidence, combined with the real pressure on physicians to do less for DRG patients, makes it imperative that decisions that will lead to premature death be carried out in a legally impeccable manner. Ultimately, adhering to legal principle is the best defense against administrative pressures to compromise patient care for the sake of optimal reimbursement.

Law and the Physician Homepage
Copyright 1993 - NOT UPDATED
The Climate Change and Public Health Law Site
The Best on the WWW Since 1995!
Copyright as to non-public domain materials
See DR-KATE.COM for home hurricane and disaster preparation
See WWW.EPR-ART.COM for photography of southern Louisiana and Hurricane Katrina
Professor Edward P. Richards, III, JD, MPH - Webmaster

Provide Website Feedback - https://www.lsu.edu/feedback
Privacy Statement - https://www.lsu.edu/privacy
Accessibility Statement - https://www.lsu.edu/accessibility

Home

Climate Change Project

Table of Contents

Courses

Search

The Role of Courts