PALTC23 Conference Recordings FR18 How Bioethics Lost Respect for Persons, and How PALTC Can Rediscover It

How Bioethics Lost Respect for Persons, and How PALTC Can Rediscover It

In the dominant model of contemporary bioethics, the notion of respect for persons has been replaced by and reduced to respect for autonomy. While some may view this exchange as merely semantic, the net effect may make the task of "person-centered care" for those with diminished capacity more difficult. This session traces the history of this trend in bioethics. The discussion then turns to some practical ethical quandaries that serve to illustrate the impact of this reduced notion of respect. First, the dilemma of Stopping Eating and Drinking by Advance Directives will be examined as a challenge to the notion of respect for persons, particularly those with diminished capacity. Second, the ethical tensions raised by some public health policies in Covid-19 will be discussed. Finally, the session will point the way forward for the PALTC community to rediscover a more robust notion of respect.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this session, learners will be able to:

  • Describe how the notion of respect for persons was reduced to respect for persons in the language of contemporary bioethics.
  • Demonstrate how this shift from respect for persons to respect for autonomy has contributed to some dilemmas in practical current bioethics (Stopping Eating and Drinking by Advance Directives, and some ethical dilemmas in public health responses to the Covid-19 pandemic).
  • Articulate attitudinal changes and practical steps that PALTC physicians, practitioners, clinicians, administrators, and other workers can take to restore a more robust notion of respect for persons in PALTC, particularly those with diminished decisional capacity.

Peter Jaggard, MD, CMD, FACP

Peter Jaggard, MD, CMD, FACP, is in his 40th year of PALTC practice, with over 20 years of experience as a Medical Director. He is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. He has an extensive background in education and teaching at AMDA-SPALTC, presenting at the state and national level on reducing rehospitalizations, Advance Care Planning, and other topics. He has served as a Chair of the AMDA-SPALTC Ethics Committee and has earned an MA focusing on Bioethics from Trinity International University. He was the recipient of AMDA's James Pattee Award for Excellence in Education in 2022.

Robert Zorowitz, MD, MBA, CMD, FACP, AGSF

Robert Zorowitz, MD, MBA, CMD, FACP, AGSF, is Regional Vice President, Health Affairs, for the Northeast Region at Humana. A graduate of Albany Medical College, he completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. He received his MBA from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice/Palliative Medicine and is a Certified Medical Director in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care.  During his career, he was an attending physician or medical director at a variety of nursing facilities of varying sizes in the Atlanta and Metro New York city areas.  For the last 15 years, he has been the American Geriatrics Society Advisor to the American Medical Association's CPT Editorial Panel.  As part of that work, he was a member of the working group that revised the CPT Evaluation and Management code descriptors.  

  • 1.0 CME
  • 1.0 CMD Management
  • 1.0 MOC

Release Date: 03/29/2023   |   Expiration: 03/01/2026

Credit Statements:

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for up to 1.0 management hour(s) toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity.

The CMD Program is administered by the ABPLM. For further information, contact ABPLM at 410-992-3117 or at cmd@paltmed.org.

ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.

Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Financial Disclosure Statement:

The Association requires the disclosure of all speaker/faculty/planner’s relevant financial relationships; presence of off-label use of a device or medication; and discussion of any experimental, new or evolving topic prior to each accredited education activity.

If the learner perceives any bias toward a commercial product or service, advocation of unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendation, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients please report this to the Association's staff.


The following speaker(s) disclosed relevant financial relationship(s): 

  • Julie Gammack, MD, CMD (Planner & Speaker): Stockholder: Amarin
  • Kenya Rivas Velasquez, MD, CMD, FAAFP (Planner & Speaker): OptumRx: Stockholder
  • All other planners, speakers, and AMDA staff have no relationships with ineligible companies.

All relevant financial relationships have been identified and mitigated.

Components visible upon registration.