Acupuncture Continuing Education

Ethics In Acupuncture #3

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Sample #1

Sun Simiao

A famous 7th century physician, Sun Simiao, wrote a treatise entitled “On the Absolute Sincerity of Great Physicians.” This was a section of the work entitled The Important Prescription Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold. The treatise is sometimes referred to as the Chinese Hippocratic Oath. The treatise “requires the physician to develop first a sense of compassion and piety, and then to make a commitment to try to save every living creature, to treat every patient on equal grounds, and to avoid seeking wealth because of his expertise.” [1]

Sun Simiao commented on relations with colleagues, “it is inappropriate to emphasize one’s reputation, to belittle the rest of the physicians and to praise only one’s own virtue.” [2] Sun Simiao also wrote:

…a Great Physician should possess a clear mind, in order to look at himself; he should make a dignified appearance, neither luminous nor somber. It is his duty to reduce diseases and to diagnose sufferings and for this purpose to examine carefully the external indications and the symptoms appearing in the pulse. He has to include thereby all the details and should not overlook anything. In the decision over the subsequent treatment with acupuncture or with medicaments nothing should occur that is contrary to regulations. The saying goes: “In case of a disease one has to help quickly,” yet it is nevertheless indispensable to acquaint oneself fully with the particular situation so that there remain no doubts. It is important that the examination be carried out with perseverance. Wherever someone’s life is at stake, one should neither... [3]

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Sample #2

NCCAOM Code of Ethics

The NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) has a code of ethics for all diplomates: [4]

  • Respect the rights, privacy and dignity of my patients and maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries at all times.
  • Treat within my lawful scope of my practice and training and only if I am able to safely, competently and effectively do so.
  • Allow my patients to fully participate in decisions related to their healthcare by documenting and keeping them informed of my treatments and outcomes.
  • Accept and treat those…

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Sample #3

Infrared Lamps and Burns

Malpractice insurance companies note that many law suits against acupuncturists are preventable. Uniformly, insurance carriers voice a concern regarding burns. Heat lamps and moxibustion are the primary concern.

The Medical Insurance Exchange of California (MIEC) reports that 17% of all claims against acupuncturists in 2005 – 2014 were for patients sustaining a burn injury. Out of the 17% total, 11% of burns were caused by infrared heat lamps, 4% due to indirect moxibustion, and 2% were due to hot stone massage. [5] The MIEC recommends that placement of a heat lamp should…

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Sample #4

HIPAA

Does a physician need a patient's written authorization to send a copy of the patient's medical record to a specialist or other health care provider who will treat the patient?

Answer:
No. The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits a health care provider to disclose protected health information about an individual, without the individual’s authorization, to another health care provider for that provider’s treatment of the individual.

 

Can a physician’s office fax patient medical information to another physician’s office?

Answer:
The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits physicians to disclose protected health information to another health care provider for treatment purposes. This can be done by fax or…

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Notes
1. Veatch, Robert M. Cross-cultural perspectives in medical ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning, p 320-321, 2000.
2. Veatch, Robert M. Cross-cultural perspectives in medical ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2000.
3. Veatch, Robert M. Cross-cultural perspectives in medical ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning, p 314, 2000.
4. NCCAOM, Effective January 1, 2016.
5. MIEC, Point of Exchange, July 2015. Burn injury claims resulting from indirect moxibustion and TDP lamps.