In the US, it is generally unlawful to disclose patient information outside of the medical setting. The physician should encourage the patient as much as possible to notify their sexual partners with their findings. Only if the patient refuses should the physician get the Department of Health involved. It is then the responsibility of the Health Department, of finding the partners of the patient afflicted with an STD, and of notifying them.
In general, state regulations for partner notifications vary. In NY for example, in the case of HIV, the physician is responsible to first try to encourage partner notification by patients themselves, and closely monitor that they do. One way to closely monitor is to ask the patient to bring their partner to the office and watch the patient disclose their HIV status. If the patient refuses or agrees but does not follow through, the physician has the right to get the Department of Health involved.
It is now known that case reporting levels are below the true numbers of STD incidence. It is speculated that this is because physicians rely on their patients' word for partner notification. The Health Department has now acknowledged that there must be an increase in collaboration with private physicians to improve the quality of STD care by encouraging the physician to become more thorough in their patient's STD notification process.
On a more funny note, there are now anonymous E-cards available that a physician might reference to the patient to send to their sexual partners. Jokes aside, studies have shown that this method actually works. Patients, especially men, like this idea. And while this might not be the best way to notify someone about HIV for example, it is more commonly used to notify someone with gonorrhea, syphilis, or Chlamydia.
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