Grace Kim, Uriel Sanchez Molina, and Altaf Saadi, MD, MSHPM
Undocumented patients can be subject to discrimination, reporting, detention, or deportation in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, so what goes in the record is critical.
AMA J Ethics. 2019;21(1):E8-16. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2019.8.
Being undocumented is a risk factor for mental illness, and immigration status relates prominently to overall health. That’s enough to consider it protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Privacy Rule.
AMA J Ethics. 2019;21(1):E32-37. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2019.32.
Undocumented patients are a vulnerable population, since they often lack access to health insurance and can be afraid to present for care. This month on Ethics Talk, we discuss challenges in caring for undocumented patients with Dr. Mark Kuczewski, Scott Schweikart, and Dr. Nancy Berlinger.
One recent essay suggests that emphasis on social justice in medical education is done at the expense of clinicians’ technical competency. This is a response to that stance.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(3):E253-254. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.253.
Some physicians who value collective bargaining remain concerned that patient services could suffer, but unionization can be driven by a focus on improving care.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(3):E193-200. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.193.
Health workers care for COVID-19 patients, just as St Roch tended to bubonic plague victims during the Renaissance. Three artworks relate Roch’s story and apply key insights to the 2020 pandemic.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(5):E441-445. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.441.
Kelly Leonard, executive director of insights and applied improvisation at Second City Works, relates how improvisation can help clinicians build relationships with patients and improve their outcomes.