Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Health Law and Policy Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Seattle University Law Review

Articles 241 - 252 of 252

Full-Text Articles in Health Law and Policy

Hospital-Medical Staff Relations In The Face Of Shifting Institutional Business Strategies: A Legal Analysis, John D. Blum Jan 1991

Hospital-Medical Staff Relations In The Face Of Shifting Institutional Business Strategies: A Legal Analysis, John D. Blum

Seattle University Law Review

This Article will explore, from a legal perspective, the dynamics of the changing relationships between hospitals and their medical staffs. Specifically, the Article will discuss hospital strategies for maximizing the efficiency of their medical staff operations. In this regard, the discussion will encompass two general areas: (1) the use of agreements and policies that restrict access to medical staff membership; and, (2) the development of economic criteria to assess physicians for appointment and reappointment to medical staffs. Both of these general areas of discussion entail significant legal issues that have never been extensively explored and hold the potential to reshape …

Go to article

Medicare's Prospective Payment System At Age Eight: Mature Success Or Midlife Crisis?, Bruce C. Vladeck Jan 1991

Medicare's Prospective Payment System At Age Eight: Mature Success Or Midlife Crisis?, Bruce C. Vladeck

Seattle University Law Review

This Article is necessarily a rather selective (for reasons of brevity and reader tolerance) and even subjective attempt to summarize the experience under PPS to date and to suggest some lessons that might be drawn from that experience for the future reform of PPS itself and of payment systems generally. No attempt will be made here to be comprehensive, to explain all the technical details of an inherently and increasingly complex system, nor even to systematically survey the rapidly growing body of literature. But the few issues and themes that clearly stand out will be the focus of most of …

Go to article

Policing Cost Containment: The Medicare Peer Review Organization Program, Timothy Stoltzfus Jost Jan 1991

Policing Cost Containment: The Medicare Peer Review Organization Program, Timothy Stoltzfus Jost

Seattle University Law Review

This Article will first examine the problem of health care cost inflation and the payment strategies the Medicare program has adopted to address that problem. It will then discuss the perverse incentives that these payment strategies create, and the role of the PRO program in addressing harmful provider behavior encouraged by those perverse incentives. The Article examines evidence on whether the PRO program is succeeding or failing in this mission, and suggests possible means of improving the effectiveness of the PRO program in policing cost containment. Specifically, it recommends clarifying and strengthening the deterrent role of the PROs, crafting PRO …

Go to article

Setting New Jersey Hospital Rates: A Regulatory System Under Stress, Bruce Siegel, M.D., M.P.H., Anne Weiss, M.P.P., Diane Lynch, J.D., M.S. Jan 1991

Setting New Jersey Hospital Rates: A Regulatory System Under Stress, Bruce Siegel, M.D., M.P.H., Anne Weiss, M.P.P., Diane Lynch, J.D., M.S.

Seattle University Law Review

This Article reviews the history of hospital rate setting in New Jersey, emphasizing the system's evolution in response to newly perceived problems and changing political forces. The system experienced some early success in controlling cost growth and demonstrating new techniques of hospital rate setting. In later years, rate setting in New Jersey has been less successful at confronting a new federal role and the growing problem of health care access. The problems faced by New Jersey hold lessons for both the federal government as it pursues cost containment and the other states who either operate rate regulation systems or contemplate …

Go to article

How Good A Samaritan? Federal Income Tax Exemption For Charitable Hospitals Reconsidered, James B. Simpson, Sarah D. Strum Jan 1991

How Good A Samaritan? Federal Income Tax Exemption For Charitable Hospitals Reconsidered, James B. Simpson, Sarah D. Strum

Seattle University Law Review

Do contemporary charitable hospitals provide a sufficient community benefit to justify the loss of government revenue caused by their tax exemption? Focusing particularly on federal income tax exemption and on the community benefit derived from the provision of services to persons unable to pay, this Article argues that not all hospitals do. Accordingly, the authors recommend that the Internal Revenue Service issue a Revenue Ruling revising the current standards for federal income tax exemption to encourage charitable hospitals to clearly and explicitly identify and respond to health care needs, including the needs of persons unable to pay, in their local …

Go to article

In Re Grant: Where Does Washington Stand On Artificial Nutrition And Hydration?, Stephen P. Vanderhoef Jan 1989

In Re Grant: Where Does Washington Stand On Artificial Nutrition And Hydration?, Stephen P. Vanderhoef

Seattle University Law Review

The Washington Supreme Court in In re Grantsought to determine whether life sustaining treatment could be legally withheld from a terminally ill, non-comatose, incompetent individual. In its December 1987 slip opinion, a majority of the court expanded on its previous decisions empowering third parties, including guardians, families, and physicians, to withhold and withdraw life sustaining treatment from incompetent individuals. This was accomplished by characterizing artificial nutrition and hydration as removable, life sustaining medical treatment. The court also gave third parties the power to remove artificial nutrition and hydration before the incompetent individual in question slips into a coma or …

Go to article

An Economic Analysis Of Liability For Aids-Contaminated Blood Products, George Ferrell Oct 1988

An Economic Analysis Of Liability For Aids-Contaminated Blood Products, George Ferrell

Seattle University Law Review

The purpose of this Comment is to develop an economic analysis of possible blood products liability rules in order to determine what the effects of such rules are on blood users and providers. To the extent that current liability rules fail to promote an efficient allocation of risks and resources, this Comment will propose changes designed to correct such deficiencies.

Go to article

Substituted Judgment And The Right To Refuse Shock Treatment In Washington: In Re Schuoler, Gregory S. Marshall Jan 1987

Substituted Judgment And The Right To Refuse Shock Treatment In Washington: In Re Schuoler, Gregory S. Marshall

Seattle University Law Review

This Note will first analyze and evaluate two competing decision-making models established in other jurisdictions. The Note will then apply that analysis to Schuoler and critically evaluate that decision. The Note will conclude that while the Washington court follows the more appropriate judicial substituted judgment model, its poor articulation of that model may defeat the purpose of the decision: to protect a mental patient's right to refuse ECT.

Go to article

Public Policy Over Metaphysics: Wrongful Birth And Wrongful Life In Harbeson V. Parke-Davis, Inc., Eric B. Schmidt Jan 1985

Public Policy Over Metaphysics: Wrongful Birth And Wrongful Life In Harbeson V. Parke-Davis, Inc., Eric B. Schmidt

Seattle University Law Review

The recognition of the wrongful birth and wrongful life causes of action by the Washington State Supreme Court is supported by both policy rationales and legal theories. Wrongful birth and wrongful life causes of action receive support from traditional tort principles and, more important, further public policy by deterring negligent genetic counseling and negligent preconception medical treatment. This Note describes the legal history of these claims and analyzes several issues not addressed by the Washington court. In addition, this Note criticizes a more recent decision by the court, which limits wrongful conception causes of action, because that decision conflicts with …

Go to article

Observations On The Insanity Defense And Involuntary Civil Commitment In Europe, John Q. La Fond Jan 1984

Observations On The Insanity Defense And Involuntary Civil Commitment In Europe, John Q. La Fond

Seattle University Law Review

There are several perspectives from which one could analyze the insanity defense and involuntary civil commitment in foreign legal systems. However, the comparative perspective on which this Essay is based focuses on: a) how foreign legal systems formulate and administer the insanity defense; b) how the power of the state is defined to civilly commit mentally ill persons; c) who makes the important decisions and when and how they are made; and d) what happens to offenders who are considered mentally ill and to others who are considered mentally ill and suitable for involuntary commitment.

Go to article

Wrongful Death Of The Fetus: Viability Is Not A Viable Distinction, Sheryl Anne Symonds Jan 1984

Wrongful Death Of The Fetus: Viability Is Not A Viable Distinction, Sheryl Anne Symonds

Seattle University Law Review

This Comment reviews the history of tort law treatment of the fetus who is wrongfully injured or killed. The Comment discusses case history and wrongful death statutes, with a focus on Washington law. Finally, the Comment concludes that courts should ignore viability when deciding cases of fetal wrongful death.

Go to article

Manifestation: The Least Defensible Insurance Coverage Theory For Asbestos-Related Disease Suits, Pamela J. Layton Jan 1983

Manifestation: The Least Defensible Insurance Coverage Theory For Asbestos-Related Disease Suits, Pamela J. Layton

Seattle University Law Review

This Note first explains the nature of asbestos diseases, the standard insurance policy language, and the theories of insurance coverage. It then demonstrates the misapplications of medical evidence and contract interpretation principles in Eagle-Picher Industries Inc. v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, and concludes with a discussion of the wider implications of the decision and the better theory suggested by Judge Wald. Because the facts and issues involved in Insurance Company of North America v. Forty-Eight Insulations, Keene Corp. v. Insurance Company of North America, and Eagle-Picher are essentially the same, the conclusions drawn from Eagle-Picher apply equally …

Go to article

First Prev