Trump denies Covid-19 surge even as virus spreads among Pence's inner circle

[Ridgerunner]

I’m not sure what “practical” problems you are expecting. If people are cooperative, there really isn’t a problem.

I mentioned no “practical problems”. What I asked was what practical steps you feel should and can be taken to ensure more testing. You haven’t responded. Do you just want more testing in the abstract, or do you know of a practical plan to do it?

What experience do you have in contact tracing in the absence of privacy protection?

As part of what I did occupationally at one time in my life, I obtained thousands of medical records. They are not easy to get without the direct authorization of the person about whom they were generated. If the person doesn’t do that, you can’t get them other than lawyers obtaining them by subpoena, which often had to happen. But even that depends on the person telling the truth, which they often don’t, either because they don’t want to tell or because they are poor historians. Even when they’re subpoenaed pursuant to a lawsuit (in this state at least, and I think in Kansas) they can be objected to if they don’t directly relate to the subject of ongoing litigation.

So yes, I am familiar with the difficulty of obtaining medical information if the subject isn’t forthcoming about it. Back before HIPAA, getting medical information was easy.

Lots of people won’t get tested. I have mentioned before on here that a physician with a big complex in St. Louis told me the doctors and nurses there won’t get tested if they develop symptoms or learn of an exposure because they don’t want to be off the line for two weeks and pull other medical providers in the system off the line with them due to “contact tracing”. I have spoken to many people who say they wouldn’t get tested unless it was necessary to get major treatment.

The whole system is voluntary, and if people don’t want to cooperate with it, they just don’t.

 

[LeafByNiggle]

LeafByNiggle:

I’m not sure what “practical” problems you are expecting. If people are cooperative, there really isn’t a problem.

I mentioned no “practical problems”. What I asked was what practical steps you feel should and can be taken to ensure more testing.

I leave that to the policy makers to figure out. I personally don’t know.

What experience do you have in contact tracing in the absence of privacy protection?

As part of what I did occupationally at one time in my life, I obtained thousands of medical records. They are not easy to get without the direct authorization of the person about whom they were generated.

That’s the way HIPAA is supposed to work. But you claimed that all your experience indicated we would get more contact tracing accomplished if we did not protect people’s privacy. The experience you cited does not show that at all.

Lots of people won’t get tested.

Yes, especially if the President is downplaying the relevance of testing. His supporters believe him and won’t cooperate. Good job, Mr. President!

I have mentioned before on here that a physician with a big complex in St. Louis told me the doctors and nurses there won’t get tested if they develop symptoms or learn of an exposure because they don’t want to be off the line for two weeks and pull other medical providers in the system off the line with them due to “contact tracing”.

Any health care worker who knowingly risks infecting other staff and patients in a hospital is betraying his or her oath to do no harm. My daughter-in-law is an infectious disease specialist here in Minneapolis and she is managing contact tracing among the staff at her hospital. She would be aghast if she found out about a medical staff person hiding their infection. Spreading stories about sick medical workers, as you have just done, undermines the public confidence in the the health care system, causing people to avoid seeking care for all sorts of problems unrelated to covid. People have already died because of avoiding care. Please don’t be part of the problem and make it any worse.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I leave that to the policy makers to figure out. I personally don’t know.

You have spent months condemning Trump for failing to do the right thing for Covid, but you just have faith Biden will somehow do better. Remarkable.

hat’s the way HIPAA is supposed to work. But you claimed that all your experience indicated we would get more contact tracing accomplished if we did not protect people’s privacy. The experience you cited does not show that at all.

Anybody who has ever worked with medical records knows without the slightest doubt that HIPAA has made obtaining records more difficult.

Any health care worker who knowingly risks infecting other staff and patients in a hospital is betraying his or her oath to do no harm.

I’m guessing these doctors know more about protecting from disease than you do. That’s part of what they do. Your guess as to what your daughter in law might think doesn’t tell us anything.

Let’s see your evidence that doctors like the ones in St. Louis have caused people to avoid health care. I will grant that people have likely died because of lockdowns. Fauci admits that. Why do you deny the “science”?

 

[LeafByNiggle]

LeafByNiggle:

I leave that to the policy makers to figure out. I personally don’t know.

You have spent months condemning Trump for failing to do the right thing for Covid, but you just have faith Biden will somehow do better. Remarkable.

He could hardly do worse. At least Biden will respect Fauci and the other scientists and not undermine the public’s confidence in our public institutions. It will take a long time to undo the damage Trump has done, but “sooner started, sooner done, sooner outside, having fun”.

hat’s the way HIPAA is supposed to work. But you claimed that all your experience indicated we would get more contact tracing accomplished if we did not protect people’s privacy. The experience you cited does not show that at all.

Anybody who has ever worked with medical records knows without the slightest doubt that HIPAA has made obtaining records more difficult.

The issue at hand is not obtaining medical records. The issue is getting those medical records to be collected in the first place. That takes cooperation of those to be tested. Without privacy protection, they just won’t do it, and the medical record will never exist in the first place.

Any health care worker who knowingly risks infecting other staff and patients in a hospital is betraying his or her oath to do no harm.

I’m guessing these doctors know more about protecting from disease than you do.

Then you don’t understand what “these doctors” know.

Let’s see your evidence that doctors like the ones in St. Louis have caused people to avoid health care.

Right here:

Delay or Avoidance of Medical Care Because of COVID-19–Related Concerns — United States, June 2020 | MMWR.

 

[Ridgerunner]

He could hardly do worse. At least Biden will respect Fauci and the other scientists and not undermine the public’s confidence in our public institutions. It will take a long time to undo the damage Trump has done, but “sooner started, sooner done, sooner outside, having fun”.

Since you have no idea how anyone could have done better, your condemnation of trump for not doing better falls flat.