Health Law (Winter 2005)

The purpose of this course is to introduce public health students, especially those interested in health administration and management, to the legal issues they are likely to face in managing a health care organization. With the increasing intersection between health care delivery and law, health care executives will encounter a wide range of legal and regulatory issues, including patients’ rights, antitrust, institutional liability, and employee relations. It is thus important for students to be familiar with basic legal principles affecting how health care institutions are operated, how legal rules and doctrine are formulated, and how to interact effectively with attorneys. This course is designed to provide students with the practical knowledge to identify legal issues and to understand the legal ramifications of strategic decisions. But it is also designed to familiarize students with the emerging health policy issues that courts are likely to confront.