Introduction to Health Law

Health Law examines the medical profession and the health care delivery system. This course will analyze the relationships among doctors, patients and hospitals within the framework of the law of contracts, torts, constitutional law, agency, antitrust and administrative law. The course will cover issues related to access and the quality of health care, and a limited number of bioethical issues. Specific areas of coverage may include: medical malpractice, the right to treatment, the right to refuse treatment, the physicians' duty of confidentiality vs. physicians' duty to warn third parties, ethical issues raised by efforts to contain the cost of health care, and issues related to the AIDS crisis. Bioethical issues may include the right to die and euthanasia; and the use of experimental treatments.