also, i'm starting to not feel bad when people start taking actions like this against doctors as new stupid privacy (that cut back on privacy) laws come out. for example, instead of complete doctor- patient confidentiality, doctors in some states are now reporting drinking habits of their patients to the DMV. so if you go to your doctor and tell him you drink daily, even if you never drink and drive, do your drinking at home, whatever, you can find your license suspended.
there is entirely too much politics in law and medicine, and too much BS in politics. all three need to be completely renovated.
That's one of the more asinine statements I've ever heard on FR, and that is saying something.
Firstly, your doctor didn't ask for this law, and he has no choice in the matter. If the state says he has to do this kind of reporting or lose his license, he is going to do it no matter how much he disagrees. Punishing him by reporting him to the state medical board is ineffective and unfair. Even though the complaint will be dismissed, he will still have to hire a lawyer and take time out of his schedule for the investigation. And the complaint remains a matter of public record, so its stigma persists even if it is dismissed.
Secondly, we have always had many other exceptions to doctor-patient confidentiality. If you tell the doctor you are planning to kill someone, or he finds evidence of child abuse, he is not only allowed but required to notify the authorities. Your fellow citizens, through their legislators, have decided that immoderate drinking habits are an intolerable threat to their safety and need to be treated the same way. We can debate the accuracy and wisdom of this proposal, but don't take it out on the doctor. Write your state representative instead.
-ccm