The PMD Critical List: Doctors Refuse Vaccine-Refusers

Some physicians are beginning to refuse to see patients who refuse to have their children vaccinated. That story leads this week’s list of must-read stories, which also includes a look at physicians groups wading into 2 other controversial issues: marijuana decriminalization and the use of live pigs in medical school training.

• The Doctor Won't See You Now: Anti-Vaccine Views (StarTribune)

Physicians nationwide are opting to “no longer see children whose parents won't get them vaccinated.” With a massive national outbreak of measles cases and a growing number of unvaccinated kids, doctors feel parents must “accept the science.”

• “Save the Pigs” Says Doctor Group (Toledo Blade)

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has criticized (via large billboards and a website) a top Ohio university medical center for its unnecessary use of live pigs while training doctors. School officials say anesthetized pigs “feel no pain.”

• Major Doctors’ Group Supports Pot Decriminalization (NBC News)

The American Academy of Pediatrics, in a major reversal, now says that marijuana “should be decriminalized and federal officials should reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug to spur vital medical research.”

• How Doctors Can Craft a More Persuasive Message (Harvard Business Review)

More effective doctor-patient communication is rooted in “three key attributes: expertise, trustworthiness, and similarity.” And sometimes “even the best qualified person to deliver a message, may not be the most effective messenger.”

• California Physicians Strike Over Unfair Practices (Reuters)

University of California campus health centers doctors, who average $150,000 in annual salary, went on strike claiming unfair negotiation tactics by the school. Contract talks have been stalled since the doctors first formed a union back in November 2013.

• A Silver Lining in Washington (The Wall Street Journal)

Despite its odious nature, the recent New York political scandal might present an opportunity for major tort reform in Washington, DC. Are Democrats supporting “an industry that essentially pays doctors to buy plaintiffs”?

• Wooing Doctors into Rural, Underserved Areas (Yuma Sun)

The State of Arizona is seriously considering legislation to attract physicians to “medically underserved areas.” Officials would use public and private funds to convince docs to “go where they are needed”—mostly through substantial student loan forgiveness.