Posted on 10/30/2017 5:35:35 PM PDT by learner
I have received an invitation to a luncheon to discuss my back nerve problems from a group I do not know. The only people who know about this problem are my doctors who are all within the same group. So how did this other group know about my problem? Did someone sell my medical problem? That would be a HPIA violation of the law. This was a personal addressed invitation. I am not sure how to proceed, but if I get some great advice here, I will send $250 to FR and as Proof of that commitment, I will send $100 tonight on account. J R can confirm if he wants. If someone is selling my medical records, I want to know.
Learner.
You may have inadvertently given your doctors permission to pass on or even sell your information.
The very first thing to do is to politely bring it to the attention of each doctors staff individually asking them if they supplied your information to this group.
Polite is the key word.
Then go to the meeting and learn, learn, learn, at the end of the meeting telling who ever is incharge how much you enjoyed it and how much you learned, but you are wondering how they found out about you.
“Certainly sounds like there could be a HIPAA violation.”
See my #19.
Violations of HIPPA are very expensive and the most simple solution is probably the real answer. Internet searches result in adds.
Read up on the medical information sharing that is a “feature” of 0bamacare. It has been several years since I looked at it, but I believe there is a mechanism whereby your info is shared with other medical institutions if it us deemed to be beneficial to the patient.
I am very sensitive to HIPPA violations, and it really stood put to me and is why I remember it. The move to all electronic records was supposed to make this very easy.
The only thing I can think of is that the groups are affiliated. The health system I work at has about 300 docs in our system. They are located in several different surrounding communities.
You might want to check that out before getting too worried. It is possible that your signature is on a form that says the records are on the system for the entire network.
Just a thought.
Trust me, the cost for Hippa violations are so high that no medical group is taking that risk.
Have you ever googled your particular medical condition? Have you ever bought or searched your medicine on line? Have you ever searched doctors or specialists in this particular field?
All that info on your searches and internet activity is for sale by Google to whoever wants it.
This too.
“HIPPA only applies to certain parts of your record. Those parts are stripped out and the rest is sold.”
Sounds like a zero-coupon bond.
If this invitation came by email — likely it came as a result of your internet searches. If it came by mail personally addressed to you — then you need to discover the sender. Health care providers and your insurance company are permitted to provide patients or insured with health information related to treatment. If it comes from someone unknown to you then 1) check wth your doctors to see if they know anything about it and if they do not then 2) file a complaint with HHS — https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html
By the way it is HIPAA, not HIPPA or HIPIA
I think the hospital does. For example my hubby and mama had open heart, both by the same doctor and given the same meds. One of the Ned’s causes diabetes, we received tons of calls for diabetic meds sent to the house, no way they knew, except from hospital. Needless to say, they didn’t take any of the meds...
Your phone may be picking up wi-if at medical facility and is being tracked.
We were in a restaurant last week and 30 minutes afer we left, I received a survey asking how my meal and the service was. I didn’t use my phone while we were there!
Your insurance company maybe? Whoever it was had to violate your privacy rights
What about this: your doctor says to the others, “I have a patient (no name yet given) who has this sort of back problem. Let’s see if he’ll show up to discuss it in person.”
He addresses the letter to you himself. No problem.
If you can support a HIPPA violation I would bet that you signed your rights to those away long ago in the mad shuffle of paper and electronic signatures that are more than commonplace in the industry.
But it would be my very first question (as I sat beside my lawyer) to the group and things could proceed from there....
I would agree that a web site visited, led to being targeted for the advertisement.
I am considering what you said, but not going, but rather calling to inquire.
That said I am considering on writing the general counsel for the medical group and asking him how this could have happened.
It is NOT coming from perscriptions
Thanks, My mistake, I cannot type either. LOL
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