Hey Folks,
I know long time no see... Life and business are still all too messed up for me to be able to spend much time here. But I just couldn't help but start this little thread and share what I just found. I think we need to spread this around to anyone who will listen, because the issue of privacy so critical to the doctor patient relationship. So check out these two links here and spread them around and share generously with friends and patients....
http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Homepagehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/us/politics/18health.html?_r=1&ref=healthPersonally, I want to take all this privacy stuff much further including allowing doctors and patients the right to totally opt out of sharing anything at all with anyone, even carriers who claim they should be managing care... Bull! And the backdoor portal that our friend Roy spoke of a while back is just a complete no go in my book, but it seems like it is in CCHIT.
Question: Jon if you are listening, since you are moving forward with certifying AC with CCHIT, and so obviously you and your development team must be very well informed about the newest CCHIT requirements; can you once and for all confirm or deny the concerns many of us have with this spoken of, "Backdoor Portal" that would allow insurance carriers to access a doc or practice's EMR at will, whenever they so choose??? I think many of us would really apperciate your insight and information on this very troubling issue. Thanks.
Nancy and I basically believe that just because a doc uses an EMR doesn't mean that the records in an such system should be allowed to be hooked up to any of the previously mentioned regional databases which will also be nationally connected. One's EMR should be just like a paper file in that what is in your system should only be stored in your office and on your system. With Flash drives and quality CCR's any person who is cares to can have their entire families basic medical history on the house or car keys.
There is no way on heaven or earth that anyone can honestly say that every last frontdesk clerk, claims adjuster, bill people, nurses, MA's, PA's, docs, carrier bean counter just to name a few will all be 100% upstating characters who will never use someone's information for ill means or harm.
Chew on this: Just think of all the kids who each and every year who have basic ADD or the like and who get mislabled and misdiagnosised with much more extreme conditions like oppositional defiant, Bi-Polar, Personality Disorder, just to name some of the common mistakes. Sometimes the best thing that any patient or parent can do, is to walk right out of a doctor's office, pretend that this first visit never happened and go find a new and better doc to properly get their situation and condition properly figured out and then treated. But with things like this rush to interconnected, CCHIT certified medical records systems, these kind of mistakes can haunt a person and ruin their lives for the rest of their life... Let that old chart to rot and expire never to be heard from again... People need that kind of control over the PHI.
Lastly, I also feel that any doc or practice should be allowed to totally opt out without penalty as long as they tell their patients why and inform new patients before they establish. Heck it could be part of the common consent forms we use and collect from our patients every day already. Then patients themselves could choose to see a doc based on their opt in or opt out status. I would hazard a guess that a majority of folks if properly informed would go with the opt out docs... What do any of you say?
Anyway, it is late and last night I only slept about 4 hours or so. Like I said it's been real rough around here... Hope everyone is doing well in the new year.....
Paul & Nancy
