health care workers and the law august 1, 2002 clara sue ross, md, jd [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
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Federal and State Laws
1. Statutes and Regulations
2. Common Law
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Pertinent Laws Include:
• ADA
• FMLA
• OSHA
• Workers’ Compensation
• Medical Records/ Confidentiality
• Drug Testing laws/cases
• State laws/regulations
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ADA
Prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disability
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ADA
•Case by case decision making
•Individualized assessment
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ADA
Protects qualified individuals
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ADA
Disability definition under ADA:
1. Physical/mental impairment that substantially limits a major life
activity
2. Record of…
3. Regarded as having...
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ADA
Employers win most litigated cases, often on issue of whether disability
present because no substantial limitation of a major life activity
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ADA
Cooperative Interactive Process
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Frequent ADA Issues Regarding Health Care Workers
1. Reasonable accommodation/Undue hardship
2. Direct threat
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Frequent ADA Issues Regarding Health Care Workers
1. Reasonable accommodation/Undue hardship
•lifting
•shift changes
•attendance
•leave
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Frequent ADA Issues Regarding Health Care Workers
2. Direct threat to the health and safety of others
•infectious diseases
•substance abuse
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Frequent ADA Issues Regarding Health Care Workers
2. Direct threat to the health and safety of others:
•nature of risk
•duration of risk
•severity of risk
•likelihood of harm
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Unique Workers’ Compensation Issues in Health Care Workers
Examples:
•Bloodborne pathogen exposures
•Latex
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FMLA
•More limited occupational health professional role than ADA
•Confidentiality of records
•Conceptually simple, implementation not so simple
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FMLA
• Eligible employee
• Covered employers
• 12 weeks of protected leave during 12 month period
• ‘Serious health condition’
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Remember Laws Interrelate:
• ADA, FMLA and Workers’ Compensation
• Potential Issues include:– Which employees and employers covered?– How coverage defined?– What is purpose?– What medical inquiries are permitted?– How is ‘light duty” involved?
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Remember Laws Interrelate:
• ADA, FMLA and Workers’ Compensation– What medical inquiries are permitted?
• FMLA-Certification Form
• ADA-Preplacement vs. ongoing– ‘job-related and consistent with business necessity’
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Drug Testing Programs
• Program/policy issues– who to test– when to test– what to test for?– How to interpret?
• MRO Function
• EAP Function
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Drug Testing
• Recent $1.8 billion class action against health care facility that did not do preplacement drug testing
• Radiology technician using patient meds/possible bloodborne pathogen exposures to patients
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Legal Resources
• ADA: – www.eeoc.gov– www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada– www.adata.org– www.janweb.jcdi.wvu.edu– www.abanet.org/disability/lawpract
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Legal Resources
• FMLA– www.dol.gov/dol/esa/fmla
• Other– www.findlaw.com