Virtual Mentor. December 2007, Volume 9, Number 12: 785-857. Full Issue PDF

December 2007 Contents

Ethics and Public Health: Physicians as Agents of the State

Ethics Poll

Physicians are mandated to report—by name—patients who have certain infectious diseases classified as "reportable." Physicians who do not comply with these laws should be fined or censured.
Agree; physicians have responsibility for the well-being of the public as well as for their individual patients.
Disagree; confidentiality and the patient-physician relationship takes precedence over public health reporting.
It’s a tricky subject; I'm not sure.

West Virginia is piloting a two-tiered Medicaid plan. Patients who sign contracts that they will keep appointments, adhere to treatment, and choose healthy lifestyles get benefits, e.g., weight-loss and anti-smoking programs, mental health services, diabetes management classes, that exceed the basic benefits offered to all.
This pilot incentive plan should be copied by other states; it promotes personal responsibility and would result in healthier people and more equitable use of funds.
This pilot program unjustly holds people responsible for conditions beyond their control, e.g., availability of affordable, nutritious food.

Physicians and other health care professionals should have no part in seeking information about or reporting on the immigration status of patients they treat.
Agree.
Disagree.
I'm not sure.

From the Editor

The Health of the Patient, the Health of the Public: Goals in Tension
Siddharth Srivastava
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:787-789.

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Role of Schools in Monitoring Student Health
Commentary by Benjamin Caballero
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:790-793.

Smoking and Medicaid Benefits
Commentary by Cindy Tworek and Kimberly Horn
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:794-798.

Communicable Disease and Immigration Fears
Commentary by Sonal S. Munsiff
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:799-805.

Conley Contest Winning Essay

On the Road: A Physician’s Response to a Call for Voluntary Service
James E. Kelley
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:806-810.

Journal Discussion

Convincing Physicians to Report Communicable Diseases
Sarah Lusk
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:811-813.

Clinical Pearl

Diagnosing and Managing Pulmonary Tuberculosis
David Pitrak
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:814-818.

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Liability for Failure to Report Child Abuse
Lee Black
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:819-822.

Policy Forum

Should Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Be Mandatory?
Raphael P. Viscidi and Keerti V. Shah
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:823-826.

Mandatory Reporting of Noncommunicable Diseases: The Example of The New York City A1c Registry (NYCAR)
Clarissa G. Barnes, Frederick L. Brancati, MD, MHS, and Tiffany L. Gary, PhD, MHS
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:827-831.

Medicine and Society

Doctors, the State, and the Ethics of Political Medical Practice
Dorothy Porter
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:832-837.

History, Art, and Narrative

History of Medicine

Privacy and Public Health Surveillance: The Enduring Tension
Amy Fairchild, Ronald Bayer, and James Colgrove
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:838-841.