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health law
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A pediatrician in a white coat listens to a young boy's chest with a stethoscope during a health exam; the boy is smiling and pulling aside his shirt. Marble portrait bust of Hippocrates atop a tall rectangular base inscribed with an epigram in Greek, displayed against a black background. U.S. President Barack Obama signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the White House on March 23, 2010.
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Marble portrait bust of Hippocrates atop a tall rectangular base inscribed with an epigram in Greek, displayed against a black background.
health law summary
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A pediatrician in a white coat listens to a young boy's chest with a stethoscope during a health exam; the boy is smiling and pulling aside his shirt.
health law Physicians must provide proper and skillful care to their patients.

health law

Written by
George J. Annas
Edward R. Utley Professor and Chair, Department of Health Law, Bioethics, and Human Rights, Boston University. Author of The Rights of Patients.
George J. Annas
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

health law, the branch of law dealing with various aspects of health care, including the practices of caregivers and the rights of patients. Physicians historically have set their own standards of care, and their conduct has usually been judged by comparing it with that of other physicians. Ethical canons, or codes, generally focused on professional etiquette and courtesy toward fellow physicians rather than on relationships with patients. The Hippocratic oath, formulated in the 5th century...

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