Offering a comprehensive and updated review of both health law and ethics, Legal and Ethical Essentials of Health Care Administration, Fourth Edition provides the reader with the necessary knowledge to become conversant with both legal and ethical issues pertinent to the healthcare profession. Using reader-friendly language, the book presents actual court cases, state and federal statues, and common-law principles to help the student understand the practical application of the concepts learned. The author includes a broad discussion of the legal system, including the sources of law and government organization as well as basic reviews of tort law, criminal issues, contracts, civil procedure and trial practice, and a wide range of real-life legal and ethical dilemmas that caregivers have faced as they wound their way through the courts.