Doctors and phone messages
 

I've noticed a certain dissastifaction with the vague messages medical professionals sometimes leave on phone machines. I asked about this a while ago, when a particular message was particularly vague (which doctor, dammit??), and found out the reason.

They're trying to protect your privacy. They don't know who might actually receive the message, so intimate details, numbers, whatever, will not be left on a phone message. While I have a problem with the necessity of this, I have to agree with it. Yes, it's unnerving to be told something may be wrong w/o being told what and why, but the alternative could be that your SO finds out you've been cheating, or that your roommate might get details you don't want him/her to get. :|

Fun stuff, huh?

HIPPA laws are there to protect privacy, but they are very difficult as you've said. Even my wife had some issues in getting some of my records when I was hospitalized.

The HIPPA laws are good, but a pain in the side of every health care prof. Our computers can only stay on a particular medical record for 90 seconds at a time before a popup states that it has been 90 seconds... and if you dont click on it, it will close out the record. never know when someone might walk by and get the WHOLE medical history from that one screen.

Patients hate the new laws too. Patients have to prove who they are before you can even say hello to them... (almost anyway)

I'm just happy if a Dr.s office remembers to call at all. HIPPA is probably a good idea, but no one seems to like dealing with all of the compliance issues.

Does anybody know offhand what (if any) complications these laws introduce when a physician is asked to provide information directly to me, the patient, over the phone, rather than by way of another office appointment?

My wife and I had a very unpleasant experience recently. She has a history of threatening cervical cancer and an unrelated condition that tends to progress to diabetes over time, and the woman who called to follow up after my wife's recent checkup told her that she needed to come in for another appointment and refused to state why, or give any information regarding these concerns due to "privacy issues". After two weeks of sleepless nights fearing the worst, the appointment finally came. The sensitive and important information the docter needed to discuss face-to-face? That my wife is in perfect health except for very slightly elevated blood pressure, which is being addressed with some dietary adjustments.

So my question is: do the current laws actually prohibit revealing information to the patient him- or herself over the phone? Or was the doctor in question just padding his bill with an unnecessary office visit, and being a bit insensitive in the process?

How do they know that's the patient they're talking to? Did she have to identify herself over the phone at all?

it is better than the docter leaving the message "You have aids and will die in 4 days" for all your roomates / lover to hear!!!!!11

In texas, we I have been taught to leave vague messages for the patient, but we can talk freely to the patient if we know we are talking to them, or a family member who has power of attorney.


Antisuck:

As far as a doctor padding his bill for an unnecessary visit, i bet it was more of a communication issue, and I am sorry that you were worried for a week.

Thanks all for the replies thus far.

denim: I don't recall exactly what was discussed in that regard, but she certainly would have been prepared to give SS#/mother's maiden name/etc and did in fact volunteer information about her own medical history and concerns in an attempt to draw out more information.

bill96ab: that sounds somewhat reasonable, and yes it was unfortunate but not the end of the world either. I hope I didn't over-dramatize the situation.

mbaha: I'll assume you're being facetious and that's fine, although there are probably more than a few folks who would sincerely agree with your sentiments as worded; in case you were serious though, I'd like to state that my very limited understanding of the relationship between doctors and insurance companies/HMOs leads me to suspect that doctors may sometimes feel forced to try and accumulate additional billable services in order that they may be fairly compensated, and I don't necessarily view this as a despicable act. I only wish things had been handled a bit differently in this particular case, whatever the motivation.


edit: apparently it is now the late mbaha; my condolences. :o