[Tweety]

Originally Posted by woody62

Once you are hired, you undergo a physical. During that time you will be asked to disclose any illness and/or medications you may be on. Also you sign up for health insurance coverage. Failure to disclose can
1. Result in termination
2. Denial of coverage

And if you have ever paid for previous health care with insurance, their health insurance company will find out, trust me. It is a misconception that one does not have to share any health problems or medications at the time of employment. It is a very bad misconception.

I did not have to disclose a previous diagnoses of bipolar when hired by an agency, at the time I was hired and I was on no medication. My failure to disclose all most cost me my Workers Comp claim. I suffered severe injures and entered into a deep drepression. The insurance company attempted to deny the claim based on an undisclosed prior medical history. It went to a hearing and fortunately, the judge rule for me.

Woody

Definately something to think about. I'm sorry for your troubles.

My facility does not give physical exams, and it's not common practice around here. Some require lifting tests, etc. Nursing schools require physicals.

Really the employer didn't ask, but it's not their business I spent a year on antidepressants in the 1984. I am physically and mentally capable of doing my job, and have an RN license. That's all they needed to know and still know. It's dead and barried medical history of no pertinence in 2007.

When I signed up for health coverage, no physical or history was done either. I just clicked a few boxes and I was insured.

I still say to the op, "don't ask/don't tell".

[woody62]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Definately something to think about. I'm sorry for your troubles.

My facility does not give physical exams, and it's not common practice around here. Some require lifting tests, etc. Nursing schools require physicals.

Really the employer didn't ask, but it's not their business I spent a year on antidepressants in the 1984. I am physically and mentally capable of doing my job, and have an RN license. That's all they needed to know and still know. It's dead and barried medical history of no pertinence in 2007.

When I signed up for health coverage, no physical or history was done either. I just clicked a few boxes and I was insured.

I still say to the op, "don't ask/don't tell".

The agency I worked for, under which I received my WC, didn't offer me any health insurance benefits and didn't ask any questions about my previous health history. I had been hospitalized, at Long Island Jewish back in the mid70's, and in New York State. It was more then ten years later I filed the WC claim and in an entirely different state, more then 1300 miles away. Their WC insurance company found out about my previous hospitalization, at LIJ. And they attempted to use it against me. One would that more then ten years later, there wouldn't have been a record. They had the dates of admission and discharge, my diagnoses, my doctor. And they attempted to get my old doctor to furnish them the records but he refused and contacted me.

In short, I wasn't asked and I didn't tell. But the insurance record was still out there, for another insurance company to use. So, even if you don't tell and aren't asked, if you ever make an insurance claim, there is always a record, available for another insurance company. And HIPAA doesn't protect you.

Woody

[jlsRN]

Originally Posted by mjlrn97

Maybe it's because I've live in semi-rural areas all my life, but I've never had to take a pre-employment physical of any kind......unless you count the UDS and TB screening. Nor can I imagine working for anyone who would require such a thing of me. Number one, my medication regimen is NONE of my employer's business, and number two, I'm obese and would never pass inspection in the first place, so why would I even apply?

God help us all if every institution that employs nurses starts forcing us to disclose our health histories---you think there's a shortage NOW?!

Same here, I've never heard of needing a physical or disclosing my med list to get a job. Only titers, vaccination history, and a pre-employment drugscreen.

[Tweety]

Originally Posted by woody62

The agency I worked for, under which I received my WC, didn't offer me any health insurance benefits and didn't ask any questions about my previous health history. I had been hospitalized, at Long Island Jewish back in the mid70's, and in New York State. It was more then ten years later I filed the WC claim and in an entirely different state, more then 1300 miles away. Their WC insurance company found out about my previous hospitalization, at LIJ. And they attempted to use it against me. One would that more then ten years later, there wouldn't have been a record. They had the dates of admission and discharge, my diagnoses, my doctor. And they attempted to get my old doctor to furnish them the records but he refused and contacted me.

In short, I wasn't asked and I didn't tell. But the insurance record was still out there, for another insurance company to use. So, even if you don't tell and aren't asked, if you ever make an insurance claim, there is always a record, available for another insurance company. And HIPAA doesn't protect you.

Woody

Well insurance and employers are two different ballgames, and the op was talking about getting a job. Insurers usually don't tell employers what treatments their employees are undergoing do they? WC is different I know. WC always is trying to find a reason not to pay, pre-existing, drug screens, etc.

I still stay Human Resources need not know my personal pysch history.

[jlsRN]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Well insurance and employers are two different ballgames, and the op was talking about getting a job. Insurers usually don't tell employers what treatments their employees are undergoing do they? WC is different I know. WC always is trying to find a reason not to pay, pre-existing, drug screens, etc.

I still stay Human Resources need not know my personal pysch history.

I agree. Insurance companies and HR are two different things. I don't think HR has access to info we give insurance companies, it's protected by HIPAA.

[woody62]

Originally Posted by jlsRN

I agree. Insurance companies and HR are two different things. I don't think HR has access to info we give insurance companies, it's protected by HIPAA.

I am sorry but HR works with the insurance company to determine what they will cover, what they will pay and what they will charge. And unless you are protected by a union or a contract, you would be surprised what your employer has access to. I don't believe that it is any employer's business about my previous health history. But what I and you believe and what an employer is entitled to know under the terms of employment are two entirely different things. I have worked as a nurse since 1968. I have had employers in both New York State and Florida. I have been protected by a union and I have worked in a right to work state. And upon my employment, I have had to fill out insurance papers and health histories, undergo physicials by my employer, and I have never lied or 'left out' any medical information or medications I was taking. The major reason for my doing that was to ensure that my employer would have no reason to deny or terminate me.

We encourage a patient to be frank and open about any diagnoses but we encourage among ourselves to hide anything we feel might have a negative impact on ourselves, even when it may not.

Kitty

[jlsRN]

Originally Posted by woody62

I am sorry but HR works with the insurance company to determine what they will cover, what they will pay and what they will charge. And unless you are protected by a union or a contract, you would be surprised what your employer has access to. I don't believe that it is any employer's business about my previous health history. But what I and you believe and what an employer is entitled to know under the terms of employment are two entirely different things. I have worked as a nurse since 1968. I have had employers in both New York State and Florida. I have been protected by a union and I have worked in a right to work state. And upon my employment, I have had to fill out insurance papers and health histories, undergo physicials by my employer, and I have never lied or 'left out' any medical information or medications I was taking. The major reason for my doing that was to ensure that my employer would have no reason to deny or terminate me.

We encourage a patient to be frank and open about any diagnoses but we encourage among ourselves to hide anything we feel might have a negative impact on ourselves, even when it may not.

Kitty

I would sincerely be interested in reading some documentation supporting your statement. Do you have an online article about this subject that you can give a link to?

[woody62]

Originally Posted by jlsRN

I would sincerely be interested in reading some documentation supporting your statement. Do you have an online article about this subject that you can give a link to?

I cannot furnish you with any journal articles. But I can tell you about the ten years I spent working with insurance companies, here in Florida, as well as other states. And the access I had to their records. And believe me, the insurance companies, thru their national association, share information about anyone who has made a claim to any one of them. All they need is your name and your social security number, something we all freely provide to our employers and their insurance companies. With that limited information they can trace any claim you have made, to any insurance company, any where in this country. They can get your diagnoses, if you were an inpatient, which hospital, in what city and state, your doctor or doctors, which ER you visited, which doctor you visited, were you injured in a car accident, in which city, county and state, the police report, did you suffer an injury on someone else's property and did you file a claim, etc, etc, etc. And if you think that this information is protected by HIPAA, forget it. It is a matter of public record, as far as the police are concerned. And a matter of insurance history, as far as the insurance company is concerned.

Don't brother tot check with HR, they will not tell you. And neither will any of your insurance companies. It is their dirty little secret, which gets out every once in a while, when posted by someone like myself. You want to know some of the insurance companies? I'll be happy to provide them for you. But as I said, don't brother to call them, they will not tell you.

Woody

[Tweety]

Woody, encouraging patients to share with medical professionals their history is different from us discouraging the original poster from sharing her personal medical history with HR if it doesn't affect physical job performance.

It's a no-brainer that an insurance company has access to all medical information, but it's not a widespread practice that they share such private information with HR. From your experience, obviously it's not unheard of, it's just not a standard practice. In fact there are employee assistance programs that help to guard this kind of stuff. When I went into treatment in 1984, all HR was told was that I would be out of work for a specified time through HR. Obviously if they felt I couldn't perform my job, then they would need to know more.

So to encourage sometone to tell human resources personal private health information may or may not be wise. It might be wise because they won't get hired. It might be unwise because if they find out about it from an insurance company they might get denied a claim? For instance if it came to light someone had a bad back and lied about it and claimed they hurt their back at work the insurance company would say "hello HR, they already had a bad back, so we're not paying".

Does HR decide what the WC insurance companies will and will not pay in claims? I always thought it was the WC company, and I do know they find any reason not to pay.

[woody62]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Woody, encouraging patients to share with medical professionals their history is different from us discouraging the original poster from sharing her personal medical history with HR if it doesn't affect physical job performance.

It's a no-brainer that an insurance company has access to all medical information, but it's not a widespread practice that they share such private information with HR. From your experience, obviously it's not unheard of, it's just not a standard practice. In fact there are employee assistance programs that help to guard this kind of stuff. When I went into treatment in 1984, all HR was told was that I would be out of work for a specified time through HR. Obviously if they felt I couldn't perform my job, then they would need to know more.

So to encourage sometone to tell human resources personal private health information may or may not be wise. It might be wise because they won't get hired. It might be unwise because if they find out about it from an insurance company they might get denied a claim? For instance if it came to light someone had a bad back and lied about it and claimed they hurt their back at work the insurance company would say "hello HR, they already had a bad back, so we're not paying".

Does HR decide what the WC insurance companies will and will not pay in claims? I always thought it was the WC company, and I do know they find any reason not to pay.

Actually Tweety, you would be surprised at what is shared between insurance companies and employers. Both have the aim of keeping the cost low. How does one do it. By denying claims. On one hand, you don't want to reveal what you don't think may have a negative impact but to hide it and deny it really doesn't protect you. Tell you what. Today, when you go into the hospital you work at or the clinic or the doctor's office, take a look at the release that all patients sign for treatment and at the release to provide information to your insurance company, to pay the bill. You would be surprised at just what you agree to release in order to have the bill paid.

And Tweety, do you really think that HR is not going to go looking in your medical record, if you receive treatment where you work? Just like HR doesn't release a bad recommendation, somehow the negative things get out, don't they? You don't think that one HR office doesn't talk to another?

Woody