Resources & Databases by Subject > Health Law Research

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The following research guide is intended to be used as a starting point for research in health law at the UNM Law Library. It includes both primary and secondary materials, in both print and electronic formats. If you have any questions, please contact the Law Library’s reference desk at (505) 277-0935 or at reference@law.unm.edu.

Health Law Research Guide

Index to Resources Below

Primary Sources

Statutes
Cases

Secondary Sources

Encyclopedias
Treatises
Other Resources

PRIMARY SOURCES

Statutes

United States Code Titles 15, 21, 24 and 42 mainly for health law, but laws may be in other Titles as well.
U.S.C.A. and U.S.C.S. are available in print in the reference collection on the upper level of the Law Library.
Subscription Databases: Both Westlaw and LexisNexis have U.S. Code sections relevant to health separated out from the general U.S. Code databases.  These subtopics are not available on the public access versions of either system. 
Free electronic resources: Complete U.S.C. at Cornell
Pre-selected health laws at the FDA and CMS websites.

Cases

Federal court cases may be found in the print reporters, Federal Supplement, Federal Reporter, United States Reports/Supreme Court Reporter/Lawyers’ Edition on the upper level. 
Subscription Databases: they are also available electronically as subsets under health topics (Westlaw and LexisNexis).  Federal cases are also accessible electronically through Westlaw Public Access and LexisNexis Academic.
Free sources of cases are at FindLaw.com and LexisOne.com (limited to U.S. Supreme Court and recent cases from selected states, or slightly expanded coverage at Cornell).

Administrative Materials

Regulations:  Federal Register and CFR

Federal regulations are first published in the Federal Register.  Current issues in print are available on the upper level at KF 70 .A2, or digitally on HeinOnline or GPO Access (free), or Westlaw and LexisNexis.
Final regulations are collected and  published in the Code of Federal Regulations (current issues available on the upper level at KF 70 .A3, or digitally by subscription on HeinOnline or Westlaw and LexisNexis.

Free access to the FR can be found at GPO
Free access to the CFR can be found at GPO or Cornell.

SECONDARY SOURCES

Medical Reference Sources available in the Law Library:
Physician’s Desk Reference in Law Ref RS 75 P5 (2005) and available on Westlaw (PDR)
Stedman's Medical Dictionary in Law Ref R121.S8 1990 and available on Westlaw (STEDMANS).

Encyclopedias

For an overview of information on a topic, you may want to consult a legal encyclopedia.  CJS: (Corpus Juris Secundum) is at  KF 154 C6J82 on the upper level (also available on Westlaw (CJS)). – under such topics as:

Drugs and Narcotics
Health and Environment
Hospitals
Insurance
Physicians, Surgeons, and Other Health-Care Providers
Social Security and Public Welfare

Am Jur 2d: American Jurisprudence 2d is at KF 8915 A74 on the upper level  (also available on Westlaw (AMJUR) and Lexis (2NDARY; AMJUR)).- under such topics as:

Drugs and Controlled Substances
Health
Hospitals and Asylums
Insurance
Physicians, Surgeons and Other Healers
Social Security and Medicare

Selected Treatises and Hornbooks available in the UNM Law Library:

George J. Annas, American Bioethics: Crossing Human Rights and Health Law Boundaries (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.
Becker, Scott, Health Care Law:  a Practical Guide (1998 updated to 2003) KF 3821 A6B43 1988, lower level
Mark A. Hall, Healthcare Law and Ethics in a Nutshell (2d ed., 1999) KF3821.Z9H35 1999 
Mark A. Hall, Bioethics and Public Health Law(2005) KF 3775 .A7 H34 2005, lower level
Furrow, Barry R., et al., Health Law (2d ed. 2000) KF 3821 H434 2000, lower level
Medicare and Medicaid Guide (CCH, 1989-) KF 3608 A4C64, lower level
Showalter, J. Stuart, Southwick's the Law of Healthcare Administration (Net Library book)
Treatise on Health Care Law (2001 updated to 2007) KF 3821 T74 1991, lower level

Additional suggestions for subject searching for treatises and hornbooks in LIBROS:

Managed care plans (Medical care) -- Law and legislation -- United States.
Drugs -- Law and legislation -- United States.
Medicare -- Law and legislation.
Medicaid -- Law and legislation.
Medical laws and legislation -- United States.
Medical care -- Law and legislation -- United States.
Insurance, Health -- Law and legislation -- United States.
Hospitals -- Law and legislation -- United States.
United States. Food and Drug Administration.
Pharmaceutical policy -- United States.

Periodicals

Periodical Indexes:  PubMed or MEDLINE.  Medline is also on LexisNexis.  LexisNexis has subdivided Medline into a number of smaller databases:

Westlaw’s only Medline database is Medline Abstract (MEDLINE-ALL), but it is not available on the UNM law school subscription

Selected Internet Sources
Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy   http://www.academyhealth.org/
Department of Health and Human Services Office of Health Policy   http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/health/index.htm
HG.org portal to health law guide to health care laws and regulations:  http://www.hg.org/health.html
National Health Policy Forum   http://www.nhpf.org/
National Institutes of Health  http://www.nih.gov/
UCLA Center for Health Policy Research   http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/

Current Awareness

General news searches on the internet or subscription databases may yield good results. Another approach is to consult topical databases on health law, such as:

BNA's Health Law Reporter.  (1992- )  Law Library Looseleaf Services KF 3821 .A15 B53x .  Highlights are also available here.
BNA's Health Care Policy Report. (1993-)  Law Library Looseleaf Services  KF 3821 .A15 B54x.  Highlights are also available here.
Mealey's Emerging Drugs & Devices. Available on Lexis (MEALEY; MEADMD). This source covers cases involving prescription drugs, implants, and devices.
The New York Times – Health Care Law Stories. Available on Lexis (LEGNEW; NYTHEA).
Health Law Week. Stafford Publications. Available on Lexis (NEWS;HLTHLW). This is a case digest service with weekly briefings on court rulings affecting the healthcare industry.
Inside CMS Health Stories. Inside Washington Publishers. Available on Lexis (HEALTH; INSCMS). This is a newsletter with news and analysis of key regulatory, legislative and legal developments affecting Medicare and Medicaid.
Drug Topics. Advanstar Communications (through Dialog). Available on Westlaw (DRGTOPICS). This database includes news focusing on the pharmaceuticals industry. It includes new products, research progress, regulatory information, and market news.
HealthLawProf Blog. This blog includes postings on a wide variety of health law topics, including satisfaction with health care, state health care issues, medical malpractice, and much more. It is frequently updated.

OTHER WEB RESOURCES

Health or legal organizations may have already gathered useful health information.  You may wish to check some of the following organizational websites.

List from Georgetown University Law Library Health Law Research Guide

List from Harvard University Law Library Health Law Research Guide – See section IV

List from the University of Minnesota Law Library Health Policy and Law Guide – See Related Web Sites

Duke University Center for Health Policy, Law & Management

 

Ethics Codes and Rulings

Code of medical ethics : current opinions with annotations / American Medical Association, Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs ; annotations prepared by the Southern Illinois University Schools of Medicine and Law available on the Law Lower Floor R 725 .A55 2002.

Additional Health Law Research Guides

This guide is only a very basic guide to federal health law research.  For more detailed information, you may wish to consult the following guides.

General Health Law guides:

Georgetown University Law Library Health Law Research Guide
Harvard Health Law Research Guide
New England School of Law List of Health Law Research Guides
Health Law Guide from the Jurist including best of the web feature
Health law research portal from BU Pappas Law Library
Health law guide from U. of Maryland
Seton Hall guide including list of medical schools & libraries
Cornell Legal Information Institute Health Law Overview

There are many subtopics in health law with their own research guides.
Selected Health Law Subtopics:

UNM HSLIC Subject Guides
Cornell Legal Information Institute Medicaid Law Overview
Cornell Legal Information Institute Medicare Law Overview
FDA Drug Information Pathfinder
Georgetown University Law Library Food and Drug Law Topic Guide
Georgetown University Law Library Health Law and Policy Topic Guide
Research Guide on International Health Law
U. of Minnesota health guides (health policy, drug development, bioethics)
U. of Washington health guides (genetics, human rights, public health)
Mental health guide from Cornell

Compiled by Marcia Baker(May 5, 2008)

 

The Law Library provides information about legal research resources and methods. However, the Law Library cannot do research for others, or provide legal advice which includes the identification of law that might apply to a specific situation. If you have questions, please contact a Reference Librarian.