Rights of Health-Care Providers

Providers benefit from nationally and internationally respected rights.

Health-care providers have rights--at least in theory. Being a citizen of the United States and a living member of the human family gives every health-care provider legal rights.

Scope

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives every person the right to exercise individual conscience and experience favorable work conditions. Some health-care providers, though, have had difficulty benefiting from provider rights, such as those established by the UDHR and U.S. Medicare Advantage plans.

Example

Even though backed by law, provider conscience rights may be overlooked, leading to repeated violations of these rights. For instance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology as one institution believing that physicians ought to perform any procedure, regardless of personal conscience and in spite of provider rights.

Affirmation

According to "Essentials of Managed Health Care," Medicare Advantage plans afford rights to contracted providers in the U.S, such as business relationships free of provider-discrimination and the right to appeal when perceiving that such discrimination has occurred. Further, providers have rights regarding communication, mandating that MA organizations interact with providers about medical policy, quality and management.

References

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 18
• "Essentials of Managed Health Care"; Peter Reid Kongstvedt; 2007
• Department of Health and Human Services: Regulation Proposed to Help Protect Health Care Providers from Discrimination
• Guttmacher Institute: Rights vs. Responsibilities