About This

Key to Images

  • Study Aid - This is a useful resource to introduce or brush up on a new subject specialty.
  • Preeminent Treatise - This is recognized by scholars and practitioners as one of the leading authorities on a specific subject.

Health Law Research Guide

INTRODUCTION

This research guide is designed to give you a head start in your health law research. It provides access to a selected number of legal and public policy resources on various aspects of health law. If you are writing a seminar paper, please also consult our Seminar Papers Research Guide [http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/guides/seminar_papers.cfm].i

Other health law-related research guides include:

HOW TO BEGIN YOUR HEALTH LAW RESEARCH

When you begin a research project, it is often helpful to have an overview of the topic, to familiarize yourself with the issues, and to learn what words are commonly used to describe them. This will aid greatly when searching for more specific information later. The following sources are good for background and overview.

Treatises and Textbooks

These are books in which an expert author (or several) seeks to give a complete overview of the topic. To get the most out of these books, check the table of contents to see how the book is organized, and use the index to locate specific topics.

  • George J. Annas, American Biotethics: Crossing Human Rights and Health Law Boundries (2005), [QH332 .A56 2005, Available in Library]
    Overview of leading issues relating to bioethics and human rights, and bioethics and health law.

  • Barry R. Furrow, et al., Health Law (Practitioner Treatise Series) (2000) [KF3821 H434 2000,Available in Library]
    Two volume treatise aimed at practitioners.

  • Barry R. Furrow, et al., Health Law (2000) [KF3821 H4343 2000, Available in Library] Overview of health care law.

  • Larry O. Gostin, Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (2000) [KF3775 .G67 2000, Available in Library]
    "This book offers a theory and definition of public health law, an examination of its principal analytical methods, and an exploration of its dominant themes, such as the trade-offs between individual rights and public benefits and between voluntary and coercive public health approaches."

  • Mark A. Hall, Healthcare Law and Ethics in a Nutshell (2d ed., 1999) [KF3821 Z9 H35 1999 ]
    A very basic overview of the field of health care law.
  • Mark A. Hall, Health Care Law and Ethics (6th ed., 2003 [KF3821 .A7 C8 2003 Available in Library]

  • Erich H. Loewy, Textbook of Healthcare Ethics (1996) [R724 L64 1996 Available in Library]
    Textbook on medical ethics directed at students in health care fields.

  • J.K. Mason, R.A. McCall Smith, and G.T. Laurie, Law and Medical Ethics (6th ed., 2002) [ K3601.M38 2002, Available in Library]
    A treatise that is international in scope.

  • Biolaw: A Legal and Ethical Reporter on Medicine, Health Care, and Bioengineering (edited by James F. Childress),[R724 .B5, Available in Library]
    Updated bioethics loos-leaf providing information on various medical and health related subjects. Covers the most recent developments in case law and current litigation in the field of bioethics.

  • Treatise on Health Care Law [ KF3821 T74 1991, Available in Library]
    A four volume encyclopedia-style treatise; not updated. Law Library no longer updates as of 1994.
    An annually updated version can be accessed through Lexis: Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > Health Law> Treatises & Analytical Materials > Matthew Bender > Treatise on Health Care Law

To find other relevant books, search on GULLiver (the online catalog) by keyword or by subject heading. Relevant subject headings include:

  • Medical Care - Law and Legislation - United States
  • Medical Law and Legislation - United States
  • Managed Care - Law and Legislation - United States - States
  • Managed Care Plans (Medical Care) - Law and Legislation - United States
  • Public Health Law - United States

Casebooks

A casebook is usually intended to be the textbook for a law school course. It contains the author's commentary and extensive excerpts from important cases, relevant statutes, and oftentimes journal articles and other secondary sources. For research purposes, a casebook can be used for a general overview, and because the partial text of selected documents is reprinted, you can quickly get a sense of what are the most important issues in the field. In order to build on what you find in a casebook:

  • check the citations of relevant court opinions in a citator (Shepard's or KeyCite) to find other cases on the same topic
  • search for other books and articles written by the authors whose work is excerpted in the casebook

The following casebooks are all in Reading Room Reserve, at the West end of the Reading Room.

  • George Annas, American Health Law [KF3821 A7 A46 1990, Available in Library]
    A lengthy casebook.

  • Larry O. Goldstein , et al., Law, Science and Medicine (3d ed., 2005) [KF3821. A7 L39 2005, Available in Library]
    Casebook which also covers science and technology issues.

  • Barry R. Furrow, et al., Health Law Cases, Materials and Problems (5th ed., 2004) [KF 3821. A7 H43 2004, Available in Library]
    Casebook focusing on health law issues, including human reproduction, death, technology, decision making, etc.

  • Barry R. Furrow, et al., The Law of Health Care Organization and Finance (4th ed., 2001) [KF3821.A7 L385 2001r, Available in Library]
    Casebook focusing on health administration issues.

  • Clark C. Havighurst, et al., Health Care Law and Policy, (2d ed., 1998) [KF3821. A7 H38 1998, Available in Library]
    Casebook focusing on policy issues.

  • Rand E. Rosenblatt, Law and the American Health Care System (1997) [KF3821. A7 R67 1997, Available in Library]

Looseleaf Sets

These sources are aimed particularly at practicing lawyers who need to have quick access to information. A looseleaf set is a collection of primary documents (statutes, regulations, and cases) that is updated frequently. The notes below each entry describe its strengths.

  • American Health Lawyers Association, Health Law Practice Guide. [Westlaw: HTHLPG]
    The 3-volume guide is organized into five categories: operational issues for healthcare facilities, patient care delivery issues, payment issues, transactions, and special legal concerns in the business environment.

  • International Encycopedia of Laws. Medical Laws [K3601 A51 I58 1993, Available in Library]
    A looseleaf service providing summaries of laws in various countries.

  • Medicare and Medicaid Guide (1969) [ KF3608 .A4C64, Available in Library]
    The first three volumes of the set provides explanations of Medicare Parts A and B, and Medicaid. Volume 4 includes Medicaid state plan summaries, federal Medicare and Medicaid Laws (with Social Security Act and USC section cross-reference tables) and related laws. Volume 5 reproduces federal Medicare and Medicaid regulations. Volume 6 has all the current development materials: new reports and other documents, new PRRB and HCFA Administrator Decisions, HCFA Manual Revisions Transmittals, adopted regulations, proposed regulations, notices and other issuances published in the Federal Register. Updated weekly.

  • John J. Miles, Health Care and Antitrust Law (1992) [ KF3825 .M527 1992, Available in Library]
    "This resource analyzes the antitrust issues affecting doctors, hospitals, laboratories, long-term care facilities, and most other health care providers. Volumes 1 and 2 analyze substantive laws, important cases, developments, and proposals. Volumes 3 and 4 compile forms, letters, opinions, and speeches from more than 30 different hard-to-find sources."

  • George D. Pozgar, Legal Aspects of Health Care Administration (9th ed., 2004) [ KF3821. P69 2004, Available in Library]
    Although designed primarily as a handbook for healthcare administrators, this work offers lawyers a useful overview of the various areas of law which are important in counseling healthcare administrators, including torts, civil procedure, professional and corporate liability issues, consent, AIDS, etc. This book can provide lawyers with background on the complexities of health care administration and the responsibilities of healthcare professionals.

  • D.J. Tennenhouse, Attorneys Medical Deskbook (1993) [RA1018. T46 1993, Available in Library]
    Practical information for attorneys in healthcare law. Includes information on drugs, types of injuries, gathering and analyzing medical records, expert witnesses, and more. Also includes a good bibliography of medical texts indexed by disorder or disease. 3 vol. Library cancelled supplementation with 2003 cumulative supplement.

Newsletters

  • American Health Line: A Daily Briefing on Health Care Politics and Policy (part of nationaljournal.com)
    http://www.americanhealthline.com (Georgetown Law only)
    Users can also set up e-mail alert.

  • Health Law & Business Library (BNA)
    http://healthlaw.bna.com/ (Georgetown Law only); also available on Westlaw: All Databases > Tropical Materials by Area of Practice > Health & Medicine > BNA Health & Medicine Materials > BNA Health Portfolios.

  • Health Care Fraud Report (BNA) [KF3605 .A15, Available in Library]
    also available online from Westlaw: BNA-HCFR and from the Law Library Web site under BNA's publication http://pubs.bna.com/ip/BNA/HFR.NSF (Georgetown Law only)

  • Health Care Policy Report (BNA) [KF3821. M26, Available in Library]
    also available online from Westlaw: BNA-HCP and from the Law Library Web site http://pubs.bna.com/ip/BNA/HCP.NSF (Georgetown Law only)

  • Health Law Reporter (BNA) [KF3825.5 .A15 B63, Available in Library]
    also available online from Westlaw: BNA-HLR and from the Law Library Web site http://pubs.bna.com/ip/BNA/HLR.NSF (Georgetown Law only)

  • Health Plan and Provider Report (BNA) [KF3825 .A15 B87, Available in Library]
    Available online from Westlaw: BNA-HPPR and from the Law Library Web site http://pubs.bna.com/ip/BNA/MAC.NSF (Georgetown Law only)

  • Medicare Report (BNA) [KF3821 .A15 B6, Available in Library]
    Available online from Westlaw: BNA-MED and from the Law Library Web site http://pubs.bna.com/ip/BNA/MCR.NSF (Georgetown Law only)

  • Health Lawyer (American Bar Association) [K8 .E9, Available in Library] (1982- ) - a bi-monthly publication, also available on Westlaw: HTHLAW (1990- )

  • Health Law Perspectives (Health Law & Policy Institute, University of Houston Law Center) (1998- ) [http://www.law.uh.edu/healthlaw/perspectives/homepage.html] provides short legal analyses of health law issues. Archives can be searched or browsed by topic.

  • NBER Bulletin on Aging and Health (National Bureau of Economic Research) [http://www.nber.org/aginghealth/] (Fall 2002- ) summarizes selected Working Papers recently produced as part of the Bureau's program of research in aging and health economics. The Bulletin is intended to make preliminary research results available to economists and others for informational purposes and to stiumlate discussion of working Papers before their final publication.

  • State Health Notes (National Conference of State Legislatures) [4th Floor, RA395 .A3 S7] [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/shn] (December 2003- ) is an eight-page biweekly publication designed to deliver health information to state legislators and legislative staff. It offers a national perspective on healthcare issues as well as a network of established key policy contacts in all 50 states. It also offers timely news concerning new bills, laws, proposals and programs. (Georgetown Law only)


Top

MORE SECONDARY SOURCES

Law Journal or Law Review Articles

For recent articles, online sources are the most effective. You can use Lexis or Westlaw, for the full text of many (but NOT all) law journals, or you can use online indexes from the Library's homepage to get citations for articles in just about all legal journals.

  • Lexis and Westlaw

    Both Lexis and Westlaw include selected health law journals in full text. Generally, they don't have articles before 1985 or so, but coverage varies by journal. Where to Search: Both systems have a database of all health and medical journals combined. You can find these by looking in the database directories under "Area of Law By Topic" (in Lexis) or "Topical Materials by Area of Practice" (in Westlaw). Find the category for "Healthcare" or "Health" to see the relevant databases. But you may also want to search in all journals available on Lexis and Westlaw because relevant articles might be published in non-health journals.

    Advantages and Disadvantages: On the plus side, you can access Lexis or Westlaw from anywhere, and after you search, you have the full text of the articles right there. The main disadvantage is lack of coverage: you won't find articles more than 10 or 15 years old, and you won't be searching in all journals, just selected ones.

  • Law Journal Indexes
    • Legal Periodicals and Books (formerly Index to Legal Periodicals)
      Citations to articles from over 700 legal publications, plus monographs published in 1993 or later. Periodical coverage begins in August 1981. Legal Periodicals and Books Retro covers 1918-1981. Available:
    • LegalTrac (also known as Legal Resource Index)
      Cumulative indexing of approximately 800 legal publications. Also includes law related articles from more than 1,000 additional business and general interest periodicals. Coverage begins in 1980. Available:

If you are using an index that includes only citations, you will need to get the full text of your articles. Here's how:


Search in the Library's catalog, GULLiver, under the title of the journal to see if we have it. We have almost all scholarly legal journals. The current issues are at the Circulation Desk and the bound ones are on the 1st Floor.

The library also subscribes to many mega-databases which include full-text journal articles, some even in pdf format. You may use the E-Journal Finder to find electronic journals available either in various mega-databases or directly through different publishers. You can type the title of the journal (not the article) you wish to retrieve, click the resulting search results to connect to the electronic version of that journal and open the right issue to retrieve your article.

If you need an article from a journal that the Library doesn't have, contact the Reference Desk. We can help you find a library that does have it, where you can go and photocopy the article, or we can show you how to request the article on interlibrary loan (You can request interlibrary loans online at http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/services/ill/index.cfm.

Medical Journal Articles

When doing research on health law topics, it is often useful or even necessary to make use of primary source material in the health science field. Unlike the field of law, where the primary sources of information are found in statutes and case law, medical science relies on journal articles as a communication medium because they can be published much more quickly than a book, thus rapidly spreading the latest medical information to those who need it. Textbooks are relied on secondarily, to provide a standard overview of a particular medical practice area, such as pediatrics or neurology. (To identify standard medical textbooks consult a medical librarian, or try the list available in Attorneys' Medical Deskbook.)

  • Lexis and Westlaw
    Lexis: Legal > Areas of Law - By Topic > Medical > Medical Journals
  • Westlaw: Directory > Medical Litigator > Medical Journals & Abstracts

Since journal articles are the major source of current medical information, the subject indexes to these articles are extremely important. Medical indexes are highly sophisticated, in order to be sure that health care providers will be able to easily find every relevant article on a topic. Some of the most important indexes are listed below. (The ones without call numbers are not in the Law Library, but would be available in the Medical Library on Main Campus.) Consult a reference librarian for additional indexes relating to particular health fields.

  • Medline
    This is the most important index for U.S. medical journals, and includes many international ones as well. Medline (Ovid), see below, is the best way for Georgetown students and faculty to use Medline, because links to the full text of many articles are available right from the search results. Medline is also available for free on the Web (without full text) through the PubMed service at the National Library of Medicine. It is also available as a database on Lexis (Legal > ARea of Law - By Topic > Medical > Medical Reference > Medline References) and Westlaw: MEDLINE (without full text of articles). Consult a reference librarian for additional assistance.

  • Medline (Ovid) (1951- ) A version of Medline with access to full text of many articles. Available to Georgetown faculty and students only through the Medical Center's Dahlgren Library. (only available to GU community, GULC students and faculty have on-campus access)


    Here's how to get started with Ovid:
    1. In the search box, you can type your search -- for details on how, click on "Help" then "Using the Advanced Mode Search Box "
    2. Note that you can check a box to limit your search to "Ovid full text availability" -- meaning just those articles with full text right in this database.
    3. Also, the search is a little different from a typical database; the default is to "Map Term to Subject Headings" -- meaning the system will look for subject headings that are relevant for the keywords you entered, then you can choose which subject headings to proceed with in your search.
    4. Once you've got your search the way you like it, click "Perform search"
    5. Click the boxes to choose relevant subject headings and if necessary change the dropdown menu from "OR" to "AND"
    6. It shows your search history and you can click on "Display" to see the search results.

  • Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Glendale Adventist Medical Center, 1961- (with slight title change)
    Indexes all major U.S. nursing journals, plus journals in physical therapy, laboratory technology, medical records, health education, and other allied health fields.
    Not in this Library. Available in print at Dahlgren.
    Online version called CINAHL, available from Lauinger Library web site. (only available to GU community, GULC students and faculty have on-campus access)

  • Excerpta Medica. Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier, 1974 - .
    Important international index. About 55% European journals. Online version contains about 25% more citations.
    Not in this Library. Available in print at Dahlgren. Also available on Westlaw: EMBASE

  • Hospital and Health Administration Index (formerly Hospital Literature Index). Chicago: American Hospital Association, 1955-
    Indexes journal articles on hospital administration and other health care institutions.
    Not in this Library. Available in print at Dahlgren and other medical libraries.

Once you have identified articles in Medline or another index, you need to get copies. The library subscribes to relatively few medical journals. You can check in E-Journal Finder to see if a journal is available on any of our (and Medical Library's) subscription databases in full text. Most medical journals should be available in the Dahlgren Medical Library on Main Campus -- you can photocopy them there, if they are not available online. Finally, as with any journal articles, you can also request them through interlibrary loan -- see the Reference Desk for instructions.

Government and Policy Think Tank Reports

Various government offices produce nonpartisan reports:

  • Congressional Budget Office (CBO) [http://www.cbo.gov/]
    Among its other duties, CBO performs analytical studies at the request of a Congressional Committee or Subcommittee; the Congressional leadership; or as time permits, individual members. The analyses, which address a broad range of topics, are published as studies and papers or as letter, or they are delivered in testimony. Health-related reports (1978- ) are available at http://www.cbo.gov/publications/byclasscat.cfm?cat=9.

  • General Accountability Office (GAO) Report (1994- )[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gaoreports/]
    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the investigative arm of Congress. "Its mission is to support Congress in meeting its Constitutional responsibilities (e.g. oversight, policy, and funding decision) and to help improve the performance and accountability of the Federal Government for the American People." Most GAO reports are done at the request of members of Congress.

  • Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS Reports)
    These are non-partisan and in-depth reports produced by the Congressional Research Service, the research arm of the Library of Congress, on a variety of topics for Congress. They are not widely available, but a few libraries have been collecting and making them accessible:

Policy think tanks and research institutes also produce and publish many policy reports. To search for these, try searching the following databases:

  • PolicyFile (1990-) (Georgetown Law only)
    Indexes and abstracts public policy research and analyses originating from think tanks, university research programs, research organizations, and publishers. Where available, access to home pages and full text are made available within individual abstracts.

  • PAIS International (1972-) On-campus access only
    Indexes public policy and public affairs literature.

  • CQ Researcher [http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/connect/cq_researcher.cfm] Weekly publication covers the most current and controversial issues of the day with complete summaries, insight into all sides of the issues, bibliographies and more. Some of the recent health law related publications are Medicaid Reform (July 16, 2004), Medicare Reform (August 22, 2003), Medical Malpractice (February 14, 2003) and Covering the Uninsured (June 14, 2002).
Social Sciences and General Academic Journal articles
  • Social Sciences Index (1983- ) (Georgetown Law only)
    Indexes articles in all areas of the social sciences, from 350 English-language journals. Covers anthropology, ethnic studies, economics, environment, geography, health, law and criminology, public administration, political science, psychology, sociology, urban studies and women's studies.

  • Academic Search Premier (1980s- ) (Georgetown Law only)
    Provides full text for 3,467 publications covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. A total of 4,425 titles are abstracted and indexed, of which 2,591 are peer-reviewed.

  • Contemporary Women Issues (1992- ) (Georgetown Law only)
    More than 1500 sources published by over 200 organizations around the world. Coverage begins with sources from 1992 and expands through the present with more than 150 periodicals in addition to non-periodical source publications. Sources provide information dealing with women's issues in over 190 nations. Access is provided on an annual subscription basis.

  • Ethnic NewsWatch (Georgetown Law only)
    Full-text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Includes articles editorials, columns, and reviews which provide a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints.

After having searched all the above databases, you might have found some good citations but not the full-text articles. Check

E-Journal Finder to find out if any of the libraries on Main Campus or the Law Library has a subscription of a database that include your journal. If you can't find your journals on E-Journal Finder, you can request an interlibrary loan.

Top

STATUTORY SOURCES

Federal:

United States Code (Including Titles 15, 21, 24 and 42)
  • Official and annotated codes in print - Reading Room and 4th Floor
  • Lexis: Legal > Area of Law-By Topic > Healthcare > Statutes & Regulations > Federal Legislative Materials
  • Westlaw: Directory > Statutes > All Federal
  • United States Code http://uscode.house.gov/ or http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode
  • Health Care Law Sources - Lexis: Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > HealthCare > Analysis, Law Reviews & Journals > Matthew Bender (R) > Health Care Law Sourcebook
Proposed Federal Legislation
  • Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov (for the full text and status of pending and recently enacted health legislation, try a word search in the current Congress)
  • Lexis: Legal > Legislation & Politics - U.S. & U.K.> U.S. Congress > Congressional Full Text Bills - Current Congress
  • Westlaw (CONG-BILLTXT)
  • CongressDaily (subscription database accessed from the Library Web site http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/congressdaily/)
  • CQ.com on Congress (subscription database accessed from Law Library Web site http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/connect/cqcom.cfm)
  • Health Care Law Sources - Lexis: Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > HealthCare > Treatises & Analytical Materials > Matthew Bender (R) > Health Care Law Sourcebook - Selected Document - Updated 3 times a year.
  • Newsletters, such as BNA publications, are good sources of proposed federal legislation.
Federal Legislative Histories

For some federal health laws, there are compiled legislative histories available in the Library. These compilations usually include bills, Congressional Record debates, reports and hearings. To find a compiled legislative history, try a keyword search in the Library Catalogue (http://gull.georgetown.edu), such as food drug and cosmetic act and legislation history. For complete legislative history information, read our legislative history research guide (http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/lib/guides/legislative_history.html). Good starting places for legislative history research include:

  • United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCAAN) (Reading Room and 5th Floor), also available on Westlaw's LH database
  • CIS Legislative History Indexes, available:
    • Reading Room and Third Floor, Media Services
    • on the Library Web site as LexisNexis Congressional [http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/connect/ln_cong.cfm] (1789-present; full text: Serial Set from 1789 up to 1969, Legislative history documents from mid-1990 to present)
    • on Lexis: Legal > Federal Legal - US > Legislative Histories & Materials > US - CIS Legislative Histories (1970-present, full text: mid-1990-present)
    • on Lexis: Legal > Federal Legal - US > Legislative Histories & Materials > CIS/Historical Index (1789-1980)
  • Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov/ (recent legislation only, 93rd Congress-present)

State Legislative Materials:

  • Cornell's Legal Information Institute's State Statutes by Topic: Health links to state health laws by state. The currency of the statutes vary by state.
  • BNA publications are good sources of state legislative materials, especially new legislative developments.
  • Major Health Care Policies: Fifty State Profiles (4th Floor, RA413.5 U5 H43) provides annual update of significant health issues states addressed in that year.
  • Westlaw: SURVEYS database provides 50 state surveys on over 40 health care topics. Sources: National Survey of State Laws, Multijurisdictional Survey, and West Surveys. Currency varies.
  • National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) [http://www.ncsl.org] is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. The NCSL Web site provides research results on various public policy issues. Sometimes, NCSL provides 50-state analysis.
  • State Health Notes (National Conference of State Legislatures) [4th Floor, RA395 .A3 S7] [http://www.statehealthnotes.org/] (December 2003- ) is a biweekly publication designed to deliver health information to state legislators and legislative staff. It offers a national perspective on healthcare issues as well as a network of established key policy contacts in all 50 states. It also offers timely news concerning new bills, laws, proposals and programs.
  • Subject Compilations of State Laws (1981-) [REF, KF1 .F67] is an annotated bibliography listing journal articles or other publications that survey state laws on various topics.

Top

ADMINISTRATIVE SOURCES

Code of Federal Regulations

  • CFR - Reading Room and 5th Floor
  • Lexis: Legal > Areas of Law-By Topic > Healthcare > Administrative Materials> Federal > CFR-Health Related Titles
  • Westlaw: FHTH-CFR
  • GPO Access http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/
  • e-CFR http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ecfr/
  • Health Care Law Sources - Lexis: Legal > Area of Law - By Topic > HealthCare > Analysis, Law Reviews & Journals> Matthew Bender > Health Care Law Sourcebook

Federal Register

  • Current issues - On Reserve at the Circulation Desk (note: older issues are on microfiche/microfilm in Media Services)
  • Lexis: Legal > Areas of Law-By Topic > Healthcare > Administrative Materials> Federal > Federal Register and CFR > Health Related Titles and Documents
  • Westlaw: FHTH-FR (1981 - Current)
  • Federal Register on GPO Access (vol. 59, 1994) http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
  • Regulations.gov [http://www.regulations.gov/index.cfm] provides access to proposed regulations by topic, e.g. Health and Consumer Safety, and provides a venue for the public to comment on them.

Administrative Rulings

  • Lexis: Legal > Areas of Law-By Topic > Healthcare > Administrative Materials> Federal Administrative Materials
  • Westlaw: Directory > Topical Practice Areas > Health & Medicine. This link will lead to the following useful Westlaw databases: Health and Human Services Decisions (FHTH-HHS), FDA Enforcement Report (FHTH-FDA), Health Care Financing Administration Buildings (FHTH-HCFA), National Disability Law Reporter (NDLRPTR), Provider Reimbursement Review Board Hearing & Appeals Decisions (FHTH-PRRB)
  • The Provider Reimbursement Review Board (from 1998) http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/prrb/prrb.asp
  • CCH's Medicare and Medicaid Guide [4th Floor KF3608 .A4C64]

Federal Agencies

State Agencies

  • State & Territorial Links (The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials) provides links to state health agencies
  • Statehealthfacts.org (Kaiser Family Foundation) provides contact information of health agencies by state
  • State Health Policy Web Portals (Center for Health Policy, Law and Management, Duke University) links to all known state-level health policy portals. If no portal has yet been identified for a state, a link to the state hospital association is provided.

Top

JUDICIARY SOURCES

Federal Court Cases

  • Lexis: Legal > Area of Law-By Topic > HealthCare > Cases > Federal > Federal Health Cases)
  • Westlaw: Directory > Topical Practice Areas > Health & Medicine > Federal Cases > FHTH-CS
  • Federal Reporters: Reading Room and 5th Floor and Faculty Reading Room and Clinic

State Court Cases

  • Lexis: Legal > Area of Law-By Topic > HealthCare > Cases > State
  • Westlaw: Directory > Topical Practice Areas > Health & Medicine > State Cases
  • State/Regional: 4th Floor

GETTING SPECIFIC FACTS

Dictionaries

Medical dictionaries are obviously important for understanding medical terminology. They may also contain other useful information. Other well-respected medical dictionaries found in most medical and some other libraries include: Dorland's, Blakiston's, Mosby's and Taber's.

Drug Information

Encyclopedias

There are several encyclopedias on health topics for consumers and/or patients (consult a large public library if you need one of these), but not many used by experts.

Statistics

  • National Center for Health Statistics [http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/] is the "Nation's principal health statistics agency." It compiles statistical information to guide actions and policies to improve the health of Americans.

  • Medicaid Statistics and Data [http://www.cms.hhs.gov/researchers/] The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) "offers researchers and other health care professionals a broad range of quantitative information on (its) programs, from estimates of futher Medicare and Medicaid spending to enrollment, spending, and claims data. CMS also offers a broad range of consumer research to help its partners and staff. "

  • Statehealthfacts.org (Kaiser Family Foundation) [http://www.statehealthfacts.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?] provides data on more than 450 health topics across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data are collected from a variety of public and private sources, including: original Kaiser Family Foundation reports, data from public Web sites, and information purchased from private organizations.

  • American FactFinder (U.S. Census Bureau) [http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html]

  • Health Statistics (MedlinePlus) [http://medlineplus.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthstatistics.html] provides access to statistics and reports from various government agencies and independent organizations related to healthcare.

  • LexisNexis Statistical [http://web.lexis-nexis.com/statuniv/] (Georgetown Law only) includes
    • the American Statistics Index (ASI) (1973- ) which covers sources from various government departments and agencies;
    • Index to International Statistics (IIS) (1983- ) which covers sources from various international and regional organizations;
    • and Statistical Reference Index (SRI) (1980- ) which covers sources from different types of associations and organizations.

  • Current Index to Statistics [http://0-www.statindex.org.library.lausys.georgetown.edu/CIS/psqlQuery] (only available to GU community, GULC students and faculty have on-campus access)
    A bibliographic index to publications in statistics and related fields. References are drawn from 111 core journals that are fully indexed, about 1200 non-core journals from which articles are selected that have statistical content, proceedings and edited books, and other sources. 1974-present.

  • Statistical Resources on the Web: Health (University of Michigan Documents Center) [http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/sthealth.html] provides an annotated list of health statistical sources on the Web.

Top

OTHER USEFUL WEB SITES

Research Resources

  • Duke Health Policy Gateway (Center for Health Policy, Law and Management, Duke University) [http://www.hpolicy.duke.edu/cyberexchange/] provides access to authoritative Web sites related to health law and policy.

  • Health Law Links (Center for Health Law Studies, Saint Louis University School of Law) [http://law.slu.edu/healthlaw/research/links/index.html] lists sites by topic such as antitrust, bioethics; elder law and long-term care; food, drugs, and medical devices; healthcare financing; mental health; pain; patient & government; patient & provider, provider liability, public helath law, and telemedicine. It also links to journals and publications, agencies and institutions, etc.

  • HealthPathfinder (University of Houston Law Center) [http://www.law.uh.edu/healthlaw/pathfinder/homepage.html]
    It contains hundreds of annotated links to informative Web sites pertaining to health law, health policy, and general health.

  • Health Law & Medicine Page (Professor Tom Mayo, SMU Law School) [http://faculty.smu.edu/tmayo/twmlinkshealthmedicine.htm] It contains hundreds of links to informative web sites on health policy and statistics, public health, health news, etc.

  • Medical Reference for Non-Medical Librarians (Denison Memorial Library, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center) [http://denison.uchsc.edu/outreach/medbib3.htm]
    It contains annotated links to Web sites providing medical and health information from a consumer's point of view. Not a lot of Web sites on health law and policy.

  • Pace Online Health Law Library (Pace Law School Library) [http://library.law.pace.edu/Healthlaw/index.htm]
    Provides access to health resources on the Internet.

  • Database on Health and Human Rights Actors (World Health Organization in partnership with the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center at the Harvard School of Public Health) [http://www.who.int/hhr/databases/actors/en/] contains information about different health and human rights organizations from around the world. All information is gathered from a survey of organizations concerning their structures and programs. You can browse by country or by health program area, or search for particular health program areas in certain countries.

Academic Institutions and Think Tanks

  • Brookings Institute [http://www.brookings.edu] is one of Washington's oldest think tanks. The Institute's Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides information on various health-related topics, publications and upcoming events.

  • Center for Law and Public Health (Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University) [http://www.publichealthlaw.net]
    Founded in 2000 with funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a joint institutional center, the Center has recently been designated a World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Collaborating Center on Public Health Law and Human Rights - the only academic center of its kind to receive this global status. The Web site contains reports of comprehensive research undertaken by the Center that examine the intersection of legal, social, and public health issues on selected public health law topics, the Center's newsletter "Center Insights", a public health law bibliography, as well as the full-text supplement to Public Health and Ethics: A Reader.

  • Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) [http://www.hschange.com/]
    This website links to many policy research reports published by HSC and other research centers on insurance coverage and costs, access to care, and local markets & managed care.

  • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - Health Analyses [http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/health.htm]
    Provides access to the Center's research and analyses with respect to proposed health policies (1991- ).

  • The Commonwealth Fund [http://www.cmwf.org/]
    The Commonwealth Fund is "a private Foundation that supports independent research on health and social issues and makes grants to improve healthcare practice and policy." The website provides access to newsletters published by the Commonwealth Fund as well as issue briefs on various health law and policy issues.

  • Harvard School of Public Health [http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/] Provides general information about the School and its different departments, divisions, and programs offered. It also links to research conducted by difference centers within the School.

  • Health Law and Policy Institute (University of Houston) [http://www.law.uh.edu/healthlaw/]
    Established in 1978, the Institute is regarded as one of the top health law programs in the country. The website provides general information about their health law program. It also contains hundreds of annotated health law related links in its HealthPathfinder page.

  • Health Policy Institute (Georgetown University) [http://ihcrp.georgetown.edu/] is "a multi-disciplinary group of faculty and staff dedicated to conducting research on key issues in health policy and health services research." The site provides links to the Institute's research centers and projects, as well as papers by institute researchers.

  • Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation [http://www.kff.org/] The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the nation. The foundation is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries. The website includes full-text policy briefs, issue briefs, and reports by topic.

  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's OpenCourseWare (OCW) Project [http://ocw.jhsph.edu/] provides access to content of the School's most popular courses, including "Ethical Issues in Public Health," "Case Studies in Terrorism Response," "Problems in the Design of Epidemiological Studies."

  • MedWeb@Emory [http://www.medweb.emory.edu/MedWeb/]
    This website links to many health-related sites grouped under topics including: biological and physical sciences, clinical practice, consumer health, diseases and conditions, drugs, health care, institutions, mental health

  • RAND Health [http://www.rand.org/health/]
    Not all RAND Health publications are available full-text on the web site, but abstracts of RAND Health publications since 1970 can be searched http://www.rand.org/health/search.html. RAND Health's Congressional Newsletters provides Congress with regular update of their recent works and is available in full text in pdf format (January 2002- ). The website also provides research highlights and other Rand publications.

  • The Health Policy Center (Urban Institute) [http://www.urban.org/content/PolicyCenters/HealthPolicy/Overview.htm]
    This website includes many publications by the Health Policy Center in pdf and html formats.

Grass Roots and Advocacy Groups

  • Families USA [http://www.familiesusa.org] is "a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans." The website provides updated information on issues such as medicaid and children's health, medicare, prescription drugs, the uninsured, private insurance, and minority health. It also provides access to the organization's publications.

  • Healthcare Leadership Council [http://www.hlc.org] Provides healthcare providers's point of view.

  • National Association of Community Health Centers [http://www.nachc.com] is a "non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and expand access to quality, community-responsive health care for America's medically underserved and uninsured." The website provides information on key issues affecting community-based health centers and the delivery of health care for the medically underserved and uninsured.

Associations and Organizations

  • ABA Health Law Section [http://www.abanet.org/health/home.html] publishes a bi-monthly newsletter called "Health Lawyer" which is available online only to members. The website also includes ABA submissions to the Government on various health law and policy issues.

  • American Health Lawyers Association [http://www.healthlawyers.org/] The website provides information about the Association and its publications.

  • American Hospital Association (AHA) [http://www.aha.org/aha/index.jsp] represents and serves all types of hospitals, healthcare networks, and their patients and communities. Through its representation and advocacy activities, "AHA ensures that members' perspectives and needs are heard and addressed in national health policy development, legislative and regulatory debate, and judicial matters." The AHA Advocacy Resources page contains its advocacy agenda, pending legislation, its Comment Letters, and links to issue briefs and federal resources on various issues. The Resource Center page provides access to more statistics and studies conducted by AHA.

  • Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States [http://www.fsmb.org]

  • Health Privacy Project [ http://www.healthprivacy.org/] Founded by Janlori Goldman who is also Research Faculty at the Center on Medicine as a Profession at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Project is "dedicated to raising public awareness of the importance of ensuring health privacy in order to improve health care access and quality, both on an individual and a community level." The site provides access to publications on various federal and state health privacy law issues.

  • Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) [http://www.ihi.org] is "a not-for-profit organization driving the improvement of health by advancing the quality and value of health care." The site provides information about IHI's upcoming programs as well as access to its publications.

  • Institute of Medicine (IOM) [http://www.iom.edu/] "provides unbiased, evidence-based, and authoritative information and advice concerning health and science policy to policy-makers, professionals, leaders in every sector of society, and the public at large." The website provides access to its reports.

  • Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [http://www.jcaho.org]
    JCAHO is an independent, not-for-profit organization. It evaluates and accredits more than 16,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. The site provides access to its newsletter and its other publications.

  • The Leapfrog Group [http://www.leapfroggroup.org/]
    The Leapfrog Group is "an initiative driven by organizations that buy health care who are working to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of healthcare for Americans." The website provides access to the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey Results, which is one of its most well-known initiatives.

  • National Association of State Medicaid Directors (NASMD) [http://www.nasmd.org] is "a bipartisan, professional, nonprofit organization of representatives of state Medicaid agencies (including the District of Columbia and the territories)." "The primary purposes of NASMD are: to serve as a focal point of communication between the states and the federal government, and to provide an information network among the states on issues pertinent to the Medicaid program." Provides access to some publications by the Association.

  • National Conference of State Legislatures: Health [http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/health.htm] is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staff of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. The NCSL website provides research results on various public policy issues. Sometimes, NCSL provides 50-state analysis.

  • World Health Organization [http://www.who.int/]

  • For other associations not included here, check

News

Other Research Guides

Further Advice on Research

This guide has dealt mostly with general topics in health law. Many bibliographies in book or article form are available on specific topics, such as AIDS, advance directives, and other issues. If you'd like further help from a librarian, feel free to call the Reference Desk at 202-662-9140, or email us with questions at libref@law.georgetown.edu.

Updated 9/14/2007 (YM)

Page last saved 26-Aug-2008