Monday, July 4, 2005

Medical Info for Verdunites in the USA

Hi Verdun people in the US!
This info came to me in a medical newsletter I receive. Thought it might be of value to you in case you don't receive info such as this down there.
 
Art
 
Dear Reader,

Two hundred and 29 years ago today, our forefathers affixed their signatures to a document that protected the "unalienable rights" of this nation's citizens.

But what would the founding fathers say if they discovered that the government could distribute your medical information to potentially thousands of people without explanation? The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which took effect in 2003, has opened the door for law enforcement and other government officials, medical personnel, insurance company employees, researchers, foreign officials, FDA officials, and even employers to know the most personal details of your health history.

Ironically you may have a harder time accessing medical information about yourself or family members than officials would, thanks to these new regulations. While HIPAA makes it easier for officials to gain access to your personal medical information, it may also provide a convenient shield for doctors and healthcare facilities to hide behind when individual requests are made. In fact, this could be the worst of both worlds, where hospitals are selectively closemouthed about patient information, turning away requests from individuals while sharing information with healthcare organizations or government officials.

So on this 4th of July, take a stand for your own independence. Fill out a "Declaration of Medical Privacy Intent" form by accessing the website www.cchconline.org. The form was created by the Citizens' Council on Health Care, a non-profit group that supports the right of each individual to control their own health care decisions. It doesn't guarantee that your records won't be shared without your knowledge, but filling out and giving the form to your doctor, pharmacist, and insurance companies to include in your files is a good way to inform others that you disagree with any infringement on your right to medical privacy.

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6 comments:

winnie3ave MSN said...

Hi there..I am Winstons' wife Billie...I am in the healthcare field directly responsible for "the privacy" of all patients  that come to our hosptial as are any of the co workers I work with including any healthcare persons employed by our facility...Yes HIPPA is something else to write home about but it is held to the highest standards of privacy for ALL patients..As a patient you are entitled to read receive or have a copy of your own medical records at any time...You are also made aware of any and all persons that would receive a copy for insurance purposes for billing...Any law enforcement officials, courts etc would need a direct authorization from said patient OR a court order to be viewed ONLY by the judge if those records are needed for some type of court case or hearing...the patient has the ability to sign an authorization NOT to let any records go to areas they do
not wish to view them....in that case they would be responsible for their own bills if it were the insurance companies they didn't want them to go to..And there have been plenty of those instances....While confidentiality is of utmost concern to a lot of patients it is true that health care workers directly involved with these patients do see the records and what is being done etc...these healthcare workers can be and have been fired for any breach of confidentiality...There is no one that I am aware of at this point can walk in off the street an access any record of their choosing without written consent from that patient...As you can imagine the U.S. is very sue happy and any breech can bring on a suit in a heartbeat...We are all VERY careful and VERY aware and try our utmost to protect the privacy of our patients..That being said nothing is failsafe and there will be I am sure those
times when errors are made and believe me the individula pays dearly for that mistake...We are under the law of the federal government so it is a federal crime to make any mistakes regarding patient confidentiality and for us "lowly workers" most of us do our job and keep our mouths shut...

verdunreader9 MSN said...

Hi Billie, Imagine, putting out something about the USA medical system on this forum and finding a "Verdun Connection" is part of the organization! Gad! We Verdunites are everywhere!!   Anyhow Billie, are you saying filling out this "Declaration Of Medical Privacy Intent" form is NOT necessary?   Having a group formed as a watchdog over any part of any government system, tells me there may be a problem, and if I were a US citizen I would be concerned!   Art

winnie3ave MSN said...

Well you are correct in that anytime the "governments" get involved something is ALWAYS up.  I have not heard of this particular  form as yet, but will check tomorrow when I am at work and get back to you..   HIPPA was passed in 1996 to amend the Internal revenue code of 1986 to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage and in the group and individual markets; to combat waste, fraud and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery; to promote the use of medical savings accounts; to improve access to long term care services and coverage and to simplify(got that?? simplify??) the administration of health insurance..Now if that isn't the biggest bunch of ????? anyway it is Big Brother in my estimation but nevertheless it is what it is....There are without a doubt about 100 acronyms of all the government agencies within this healthcare
system..probably more....so believe me it is highly possible that something else is coming on board...and unfortunately I am not a Verdunite...Fortunately I married one, does that count??? I am originally from,,,,,mmmm,,,,southern California...sorry....




>From: "Verdun Connections"
>Reply-To: "Verdun Connections"
>To: "Verdun Connections"
>Subject: Re: Medical Info for Verdunites in the USA
>Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2005 18:18:35 -0700
>

verdunreader9 MSN said...

Billie,   Hey! If you were chosen to be the wife of a Verdunite then you must be really something! And , with the marriage comes automatic membership to the best group of people you will find anywhere!   It will be interesting to hear what you find out!   Art

winnie3ave MSN said...

Art: I did some checking at work and this is something that we do not have as they have on the internet site..All patients receive the standard HIPPA information when they go to the hospital or Drs. office that explains to them who what where and when information will be sent etc...the internet site appears to be a "group of citizens" for the ??protection of healthcare?? and if I understand it more crap...sorry......It does not appear to be a government project at this time, just "citizens"...I looked up on the internet the title you gave me and the information is there as you said...but as far as a federal thing I don't think it is...so I will definitely keep my eyes open and see how these folks progress with their venture...All of the entities on their list is NOT a routine mailing list for any of us....It is for billing purposes only and all patients are made aware of that..any
information other than that has to have the written authorization from the patient or as I said before a court order and that only happens in abuse, alcohol or drug, violence situations and the like...Winston said your simple question was do we have to sign that paper?? No, not unless you want to copy it and bring it with you to your Drs. office or hospital....sorry if I went into to much detail....have a great night...and thanks for your input....Billie

conniekoz MSN said...

Art:   Trust me, Billie is someone special and would fit and does fit in well with us Verdunites.  We are lucky she accepted us LOL   Connie