doctor's office accessing of scripts

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right about now I am ripshoot (george carlinism)....went for a work physical at a doctor's office that I have no prior relationship with and will have no further relationship with, and the MA looks at the screen and says "so, you take x and y meds....." I ask her how she knows this, since I didn't give permission nor a list, and she says if you use insurance to pay for it, we can see it......WITHOUT MY FREAKING CONSENT....! I got copies of the consents i signed, on the way out of the office, don't see it anywhere!!!!!....This seems like a hipaa violation to me, they had no need, hence no right. I am feeling ...angry, hurt, humiliated, stupid.......this on top of no steady job at the moment......really great freaking day I have had.....So, so much for privacy....

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Medication reconciliation is often done at any office visit, which personally I think is a pretty good idea. I guess I'm not really clear on why you wouldn't want a Doctor's office, where you are apparently seeking care, to know what medications you take?

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Specializes in PICU, Sedation/Radiology, PACU.

If you gave them consent to treat you, then you gave them consent to access necessary medical information to do so. If you consented to a pre-employment physical for your employer, then the facility who conducts that physical also has your consent to access the medical information needed for it.

One cannot go to a hospital for treatment and assume that their medication records from the primary care and previous hospitalizations will not be used to coordinate their care. The vise versa is true for doctor's office visits.

Knowing what medications you are taking is an important part of assessing your physical health and preexisting conditions- especially if you are going to be working for them. Were you planning on not disclosing the use of these medication or the medical conditions which they are used for? If blood and urine were taken during your physical and tested for drug use, the office would also have access to what medications you are taking.

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people, people, people...you have to read that fine print whenever you sign anything. you know how when you go to an office and they give you the clipboard and you sign at the bottom? what you have just signed is a release for medical information.

you said this was for a work injury. if this is a work injury and you don't sign that release, your work comp carrier will not get the medical records of your visit, and therefore they will not pay, and therefore if you do not sign, you do not get seen.

if you try to put it on your regular health insurance, you will sign a release that asks you to answer this question: "are you being seen for an injury that occurred at work or as the result of an auto accident?" if you say no, it's fraud. if you say yes, your insurance company will bounce it back to the worker's comp or liability carrier. lather, rinse, repeat.

"hipaa violation" is not shorthand for "i don't like it!" or "i didn't know that!" you did sign for it, and that's the end of it.

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no not a work injury. and no, not drug testing, and no what i take would have no effect on doing the job. and consents for info would be for them to release info to some one else....i did not sign anything to release this info to them!!!!

people, people, people...you have to read that fine print whenever you sign anything. you know how when you go to an office and they give you the clipboard and you sign at the bottom? what you have just signed is a release for medical information.

you said this was for a work injury. if this is a work injury and you don't sign that release, your work comp carrier will not get the medical records of your visit, and therefore they will not pay, and therefore if you do not sign, you do not get seen.

if you try to put it on your regular health insurance, you will sign a release that asks you to answer this question: "are you being seen for an injury that occurred at work or as the result of an auto accident?" if you say no, it's fraud. if you say yes, your insurance company will bounce it back to the worker's comp or liability carrier. lather, rinse, repeat.

"hipaa violation" is not shorthand for "i don't like it!" or "i didn't know that!" you did sign for it, and that's the end of it.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

I've never had that happen at a work physical. They do a history and med rec from scratch. But wouldn't the issue be with the insurance company as opposed to the doctor's office? I thought the HIPAA laws were designed to prevent this. Guess I better read over it again. . .

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thanks. they use "surescript".

I've never had that happen at a work physical. They do a history and med rec from scratch. But wouldn't the issue be with the insurance company as opposed to the doctor's office? I thought the HIPAA laws were designed to prevent this. Guess I better read over it again. . .
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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

i want every doctor's office and every pharmacy that i use to be vitally aware of each and every med that i take.

i have a lurid allergy to meds allergy and must undergo quarterly liver and renal function tests due to some of my

meds' side efects.

therefore, everyone who orders a med or fills an rx for me absolutely must be on red alert at all times. what doctors

forget or don't catch, the pharmacist or computer does.

sometimes one can't afford the luxury of privacy.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

If the meds were prescribed or filled by a provider within a particular network or system, then that information would be available to any provider within the network/system.

If you want to receive "anonymous" healthcare, use a pseudonym and pay cash.

I don't know of any other means to "hide" information from a provider, nor any reason to justify doing so.

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Specializes in Pedi.

If this office uses the same system as any other office you visit, your prescriptions are in their "system". I have specialists at four different facilities in my city that all use the same electronic charting system and thus, they all have access to all my prescriptions, lab results, radiology reports and office notes. I happen to think it's great... my oncologist can see notes from my nephrologist and endocrinologist before I see him so I don't have to go through everything with him again. My ophthalmologist can see my MRIs and my oncologist can see my visual field reports. My primary care can see updates from EVERYONE. And they all have access to my most current list of meds.

HIPAA is meant to prevent people from accessing your medical information if it's not essential to your care. A doctor performing a comprehensive exam on you needs to know what meds you are taking. I fail to see how you could consider this a HIPAA violation. I have never signed a release for any of my specialists to speak to my primary care but, as they know that she is the who ultimately manages my care, they know that it is necessary to keep her informed of how they are managing my chronic needs.

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Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.

I really do not have any health issues. I only take the obligatory "old woman's" SSRI.

I really do not give a rip if any prescriber knows what I take. His newly employed, will be gone in 6 weeks, front desk clerk, that's a different story.

That's how you consider it a HIPPA violaton.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Welcome to all medical records being computerized by 2014. Scary isn't it.:eek: Now your electronic medical record will be available to whomever you sign to allow you to be .....meds included. You signed in, you agreed to be seen, you signed that you agreed to be seen, you agreed for ALL of your medical record to be viewed for your "care".

No HIPAA violation here. Sorry,:o

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