The health care industry
Introduction
The environment for health care delivery to patients is guided by a framework of state- and federal –level laws. These laws protect patients from unethical practices and possible breach of civil liberties that may be orchestrated by their health care providers. As such, health care professionals have a duty to provide care to their patients within the precinct of the available health care laws (Burris et al., 2010). Failing to follow the law may subject health care providers or professionals to hefty fines, short to lengthy jail terms, or revocation of practicing license. Although health care providers have a moral obligation to provide patients with optimal care, they must have a thorough understanding of the legal system and health care laws to limit the breach of the law.
The nature of the health care industry is mostly shaped by the architecture of the legal system and health care laws. Health laws provide the industry with a legally binding check and balances to ensure health care professionals maintain appropriate ethical boundaries (Ivanovic et al., 2013). For example, sexual exploitation laws provide strict guidelines on permissible interactions between health care professionals and their patients. They particularly prohibit health care professionals from having intimate relationships with their patients. As noted by Kadivar et al. (2017), health care providers have to balance ethics, beneficence, and patients’ autonomy to avoid being caught up in a legal conundrum. Thus, they should have a thorough understanding of health care legislation and the functionality of the legal system to guide their professional practices. In conclusion, the link between healthcare laws and ethics makes it imperative for health care providers to align their practices with the demands of the legal environment to avoid lawsuits and eventually fines, jail terms, or revocation of practicing license.