Medical Law Basics - Video Lesson

Hey, everybody. Welcome back. This lesson focuses on the basics of how law applies to health care. In the world of health care, understanding the law is a matter of patient safety and professional responsibility. It is important to understand the difference between laws, professional regulations, and guidelines. Loss are formal rules with legal consequences set by government authorities. Professional regulations are standard set by professional bodies or regulatory agencies specific to members of a profession. Guidelines are nonbinding recommendations or best practices, which can be provided by a variety of entities and for a range of purposes. Guidelines can inform professional regulations and professional regulations can inform law. For example, one of the guiding principles of health care is the concept of beneficence. Or doing what is in the best interest of a patient. This includes providing emergency care to patients who do not have insurance or a means of paying for care.