Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire; Thursday September 17, 1998
Both the state and the city already require reporting of names of people who are formally diagnosed with AIDS, but have not yet required reporting of those with HIV who have not yet been diagnosed with AIDS. While names are included in AIDS case reports to the city health department, AACO converts the information into a computer code before transmitting the information to state and federal officials, in order to limit the potential for violations of confidentiality.
State law requires that an HIV or AIDS diagnosis be confidential and not be revealed to anyone without the patient's consent.
Joseph Cronauer, co-director of the city's AIDS office, said, "It has become clear that neither providers of AIDS care nor people with HIV disease themselves believe that a name-based reporting system will work in Pennsylvania. People are rightfully concerned about the potential for confidentiality violations and discrimination, and that collecting names might discourage people with HIV from seeking the care they need to stay alive. As the epidemic becomes more and more concentrated among disenfranchised people, we have to be especially sensitive in setting up these systems so that they really work for the people we're trying to help."
"Code-based, rather than name-based, reporting is a sound public health approach that will provide information on the epidemic without deterring people from testing and treatment," Cronauer said.
AACO held two public hearings earlier this year, at which virtually all AIDS service providers, hospitals, physicians and people with HIV/AIDS who participated supported HIV reporting but strenuously opposed using names. Health Commissioner Estelle Richman and AACO submitted a detailed report to Pennsylvania Health Secretary Daniel Hoffman in April on the outcome of the hearings, and encouraged Hoffman to hold similar hearings throughout the state prior to implementing an HIV reporting procedure.
Cronauer said that he would encourage the state to investigate the cost of using codes instead of names to collect HIV reports, and evaluate computer models in use in other states and municipalities prior to making a final decision on the type of HIV reporting to be implemented in Pennsylvania.
SOURCE: Philadelphia AIDS Activities Coordinating Office
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