Data privacy in electronic health records (EHR)

Lisa Nelson70 said:But then you went ahead and wrote an entire extra page anyway. 🙄 Just for us. 🙄

Why does it bother you so much that I'm talking to people who aren't moderators?

placidorca16 said:And all this drama just because someone was "simply" recounting what was written in the files.🙄 Where do you live?😲

placidorca16 said:The Chamber is stripping away licenses at age 16.🙄 You’re clearly living in some kind of fantasy land.

placidorca16 said:Nah, but you definitely are.😁

placidorca16 said:Oh, give me a break. And here I was thinking you actually knew what you were talking about, like some kind of expert doctor.😁

placidorca16 said:Since it's clear we aren't on equal footing here, and now that you've started pulling rank and making threats from a position of power, I'm done. I have nothing left to say to you.

Go back and actually read the digs you’ve been taking at me. Then maybe you'll realize I wasn't just "tolerating" you—I was practically closing my eyes and pretending I didn't hear it. Honestly, I'm done. If you can't have a normal conversation without the constant snark, the wordplay, or dissecting a single damn post into a hundred different pieces—which, by the way, I'm just waiting for you to start doing now—then don't bother participating in this thread ever again. As far as I'm concerned, you're out.

melloworca6 said:As far as I'm concerned—you don't need to participate in this thread anymore.

Wait, are you actually trying to ban me from participating here?

placidorca16 said:Can you give me an example where a "board of ethics" actually revoked a license because someone leaked confidential patient information?

Maybe I have a reason to be this bitter. Maybe I lost someone very close to me because of doctors.

People act like patients "aren't" experts. But there are incompetent doctors out there too—doctors who misdiagnose or treat people wrongly, and nothing ever happens to them in this country.

Well, you can't always know for sure ahead of time. Sometimes a person just makes a wrong call, and by then, it might already be too late.

I can't. There is such a thing as a code of ethics. You could reach out to the medical board and ask. I believe you'll get some statistical data, though I doubt they'll give you names and surnames.
Or try contacting a patient rights advocacy group.

Look, if you think patients are experts and can connect all the dots based on stuff they find online, then they should just treat themselves.
That’s total nonsense. To truly investigate a modern medical consensus, you need access to databases and peer-reviewed journals that are completely inaccessible to the average layperson unless they want to pay $10 to $40 for every single article. And honestly, those kinds of patients don't really exist. Even if they did, I doubt they'd understand what they're looking at. Sometimes doctors have to read highly technical texts... deciding whether something is relevant depends entirely on how well you know the subject matter and if you can critically evaluate the materials and methods used.

Regardless of whether you have a reason to be bitter or not, communicate it in the context where it originated. Or take actual action regarding it. Just venting like this is rude; it paints a bad picture of you and, more importantly, it isn't constructive for the topic or the discussion.

If you aren't happy with your doctor, you can transfer your medical records. Patients have the right to choose.

But just like a car has a service history, a patient has a medical file. And there's a reason for that.
I wouldn't go to a doctor seeking help without knowing that, besides a subjective history which is often flawed, we are utilizing every possible resource available.

And if someone decides to have a legal medical abortion, that's their business. Doctors aren't there to pass judgment. Whether it's noted in the chart or not, nothing changes.

Lisa Moore61 said:If someone decides to have an abortion, that's their business—doctors aren't there to act as judge and jury. Whether it gets logged in the medical records or not, nothing actually changes.

Well, if omitting it from the record doesn't change anything, then why bother recording an abortion when there weren't even any complications?

Lisa Moore61 said:I just can't—there’s actually such a thing as a code of ethics. You could try reaching out to the medical board and asking; I'm pretty sure you'll get some stats, though they probably won't hand over specific names and faces.
Or maybe try a patient advocacy group.

I already talked to the investigating judge, and apparently, those records don't exist.

Look, if you think patients are experts who can connect all the dots based on stuff they find online, then they should just go treat themselves.
It's total nonsense—to actually research a modern consensus, you need access to databases and journals that are basically locked away from regular people unless they want to drop $10-$40 per single article. And let's be real, most patients aren't doing that.

Anyone actually working in the scientific community has access to those, obviously.

Whether you have a reason to be bitter or not, just talk to her directly about what happened. Or take action. Venting here is just rude—it makes you look bad and, more importantly, it’s not helping the topic or the discussion at all.

Honestly? I couldn't care less what you or anyone else thinks of me. And regarding the medical error involving someone close to me—I wasn't asking for your advice. If things were as simple as you seem to think they are, we wouldn't be dealing with a fatal outcome.

If you aren't happy with your doctor, you can always switch providers. Patients have the right to choose.

That ship has sailed. The patient is dead.

Can I ask a quick question? I might have missed this if someone already mentioned it—sorry if I did...
tto know how much access people actually have to my records—like, could my dermatologist see things from my OB-GYN visits or anything my primary care doctor puts in there?

placidorca16 said:I actually checked with an investigative judge, and they told me nothing like this exists.

Anyone working within the scientific community has access to those databases, for instance.

Honestly, I couldn't care less what you or anyone else thinks about me. And regarding medical malpractice involving someone close to me—well, I wasn't asking for your advice. If things were as simple as you seem to think, we wouldn't be dealing with such a fatal outcome.

That time has passed. The patient is gone.

Regarding the articles, unfortunately, they aren't accurate. It’s a shame they aren't right. 😁 But that isn't really the point of this thread.

It’s perfectly fine if you don't care what people think of you, but this is a public forum, and as such, there are certain norms and standard ways of behaving.

As for medical error—since I have no idea what specifically happened, I haven't offered any advice. I simply suggested that whatever is weighing on your mind, you should resolve it, because keeping it bottled up is clearly hurting your health.

Make a choice: do you want to discuss this or not? If you do, please provide the relevant information needed for a meaningful conversation. If you don't, then don't drag it out.

There is a significant difference between medical malpractice and a complication during treatment. If you’ve already reached out to an investigative judge, the Chamber, and a patient advocacy group, I trust you’ve done everything possible, and if it truly was an error, the perpetrator will face the consequences.

And finally, just a quick tangent for food for thought—I have no intention of getting into a debate about this, nor do I intend to insult anyone or sink to the level of communication I've been seeing in this thread over the last few pages.

No system is perfect. We expect our doctors to be highly educated, 100% infallible, and fully caught up with every new discovery and possibility... yet we restrict their access to scientific journals. Healthcare reform is turning them into administrators who sweat over whether their paycheck will shrink if they prescribe a necessary medication instead of just sticking to a pre-approved list. Our healthcare system is crumbling.

P.S. You aren't the only one who has faced tragedy. Perhaps for some, it is a blessing to know enough to realize that while the doctors did everything they could, the system failed to provide adequate diagnostics and treatment, and by a cruel twist of fate, it was the body itself that eventually gave out...

placidorca16 said:I mean, if recording it doesn't actually change any laws, why bother documenting an abortion if there weren't even any complications?

Nothing is going to change regarding the legality of the act itself; it’s already happened and it's done. It doesn't change anything for the woman who went through it. Whether it's written in her medical record or not, it doesn't impact her life one bit.

The thing is, complications aren't always immediately obvious. Maybe we should implement some kind of expiration date on those records?☕

Plus, if a doctor is going to make decisions regarding someone's health, they really need to have all the pieces of the puzzle.

Just food for thought here... imagine a patient, let's call her Jane Doe, who has had 15 or 16 abortions. Having that data in her file might be the exact signal her primary care physician needs to suggest seeing a psychologist, or perhaps prompting her OBGYN to talk to her about different types of contraception.
or maybe just don't list the first five?🤔

Lisa Moore61 said:—and that anyone making decisions regarding someone else's health really ought to have all the puzzle pieces in front of them.

Exactly so; that is essentially the crux of the matter 👍. Because, unfortunately, we have seen plenty of fatal outcomes precisely because every specialist tends to look only at their own narrow field. They process what is in their specific domain—what falls under their purview—but they fail to account for other variables, those things that need to be connected, the pieces that need to be fit together. Often, in that stage, the key is missing—that vital piece, that link, that single connection required to complete the entire chain. Of course, I am speaking generally here, unrelated to abortion, though that doesn't mean we should omit the concept from this discussion.

Though, honestly, people, we are sitting here discussing privacy—specifically the confidentiality of certain segments of our data—yet the law itself hasn't even begun to be implemented. We don't even know what the actual practice will look like, whether it will truly come to fruition, or how it will function in reality.

As for how much this will change everything in terms of privacy, I don't believe it will be much; perhaps maybe in the case of abortion. But we simply don't know yet. Things used to come to light before, without any networking, involving both information that should have stayed quiet and information that shouldn't have, all without much fuss. However, there is a medical code of ethics. I have doctors in my family, both immediate and extended, who treat patients I know quite well. It never even crossed their minds to divulge anyone's private medical matters, nor did it occur to me (or anyone else) to interrogate them. I am aware that there are fools out there, but that only hurts their own reputations; it serves no purpose for them.

But then, there is this case below:

just as another idea for thought... a case where a patient, Jane Doe, has had 15 or 16 abortions... perhaps that data in her file could serve as a signal to her primary care physician to refer her to a psychologist, or to her gynecologist so they might attempt to educate her on other methods of contraception.
or that the first five shouldn't be recorded🤔

I wouldn't have even thought of that if you hadn't written it... While I was visiting my former gynecologist (who was being rather chatty once, likely just wanting to vent😁), she mentioned a woman who uses abortion almost literally as a method of contraception—every time the woman comes in, it's just, "Alright, let's just do the abortion." The normal sequence of events would be that she (along with her 'family') is placed under the microscope by other doctors, in this instance, a psychiatrist. This is admittedly an ultra-extreme example, but that is the reality of it.

Sophia Wells72 said:So, take this specific case:

I honestly didn't realize you hadn't mentioned this before... Back when I used to see my old OBGYN (she was quite the chatterbox, probably just looking for someone to vent to😁), she told me about a woman who literally uses abortion as her primary form of birth control. She’d just show up every single time and be like, "Alright, let's get this over with." Usually, when things follow that pattern, the patient—along with their whole family circle—gets scrutinized by other doctors, or in her case, even a psychiatrist. It's an extreme outlier, obviously, but that's the reality.

But shouldn't that kind of behavior actually trigger some scrutiny? 🤷 An abortion isn't a pleasant experience for anyone involved, whether you're the one undergoing it or the one criticizing it.

Plus, it takes such a massive toll on both the body and the mind. Dealing with repeated uterine scraping and the constant hormonal shifts is incredibly draining... emotionally speaking. If someone is bypassing every available method of contraception and choosing serial abortions as their way to manage fertility, they're behaving self-destructively. There might even be an underlying issue like domestic abuse at play.🤷

Lisa Moore61 said:but isn't it okay for someone like that to be under scrutiny? 🤷 An abortion is hardly an pleasant experience—not for the one undergoing it, nor for the one criticizing it.

Well, this type of situation absolutely should be scrutinized—in fact, it already is. We aren't just talking about a psychiatrist here; we have to consider all the other 'institutions' (I’m using quotes there quite intentionally), her family, and the whole complicated web surrounding her—though, naturally, the list of diagnoses would be even longer. It seems to be a logical progression that a woman might find herself forced to visit a clinic far more frequently than necessary (aside from the procedure itself) simply because of what she does or has done. While I wouldn't categorize this specific case right here, unfortunately, that happens too. There really ought to be a concerted effort regarding this kind of "networking" to ensure that, on one hand, there aren't gaping holes in the system, and on the other, to prevent any unnecessary leaks of private information (to certain people, of course).

I’m with you on that. Honestly, I think doctors and patients really ought to be working as partners to fight for a patient's health, though that feels increasingly difficult lately given the current state of things and all the pressure from big pharma.

The relationship should be built from the ground up—starting with medical schools teaching doctors the absolute necessity of ethical conduct, and moving toward educating patients so they feel empowered to report any unprofessional behavior through the medical board. It isn't easy for anyone involved. That old-school, patronizing attitude toward patients is dying out, and frankly, it's unacceptable. A doctor’s job should be to guide, educate, and help a patient choose what is truly best for them. But unfortunately, between our lingering patriarchal societal norms and the thousand different bureaucratic headaches a doctor has to juggle—like dealing with the complexities of Medicare or endless federal regulations—making that transition isn't exactly a smooth ride.

Still, I truly believe we can get there. We just need to approach it without bitterness, taking it slow and staying patient... maybe one day we'll actually evolve into having a healthcare model more like Scandinavia's.

Lisa Moore61 said:As far as those articles go—unfortunately, they're wrong. God forbid they actually get something right, 😁 but that’s not really what we’re here to talk about.

It’s fine if you don't care what people think of you—really, it is—but this is a public forum, and as such, there are certain norms and standard ways of behaving.

Regarding the medical error part—since I have no clue what happened, I didn't even offer advice. I just suggested that whatever is eating at you, you should probably deal with it, because keeping it bottled up is obviously bad for your health.

Make up your mind: do you want to discuss this or not? If you do, provide the actual data needed for a decent conversation. If not, don't drag it out.

There is a massive difference between medical malpractice and a treatment complication. If you’ve already reached out to an investigative judge, the medical board, or a patient advocacy group, then I assume you've done your due diligence—and if it truly was malpractice, the person responsible will face the consequences.

One little side note—just food for thought, though I'm not looking for a debate or planning to engage with any insults or sink to the level of communication I've been reading on this thread for the last few pages.

No system is perfect. We expect our doctors to be highly educated, 100% infallible, and completely up-to-speed on every new discovery... yet we deny them access to scientific journals. Between healthcare reforms turning them into glorified administrators sweating over whether their paycheck gets docked for prescribing a necessary drug instead of just sticking to a list, our entire medical system is basically crumbling.

P.S. You aren't the only one who has dealt with tragedy. It might just be someone else's blessing to realize that while the doctors did everything they could, the system itself failed to provide adequate diagnostics and treatment, leaving the body to simply give out due to a series of unfortunate circumstances...

It's true that scientists and professors have access to research databases. They might not have every single one, but they have most of them.

Communication standards should apply to everyone equally.

I wasn't asking for a "suggestion," nor is that even the point here.

I have no intention of debating that here.

I am well aware of the distinction between medical malpractice and complications during treatment. In this case, the person responsible hasn't faced any consequences—they've actually been promoted.

A systemic failure is one thing; an individual error is another.

I never claimed to be the only one who has gone through a tragedy. In this specific instance, the doctors were nowhere near doing everything they could. That whole "case" was even all over the news.

Sophia Wells72, I was just about to write something pretty much the same thing. 🙂

placidorca16 said:Are you actually telling me I can't participate here?

No, but maybe dial back the sarcasm. Realize that not everyone shares your exact opinion. Look at me—I’m a fool who wants to believe my medical records stay strictly between me and my doctor. Trust me, if I ever found out my doctor, a nurse, or anyone else was gossiping about my private info to ten different people, I’d raise hell.

It's illegal. I don't doubt some people do it, but if they get caught, they'll face consequences. At worst, they lose their license.

Here's a recent example I know firsthand. My partner's dad got cancer. Once he knew, he explicitly told his doctor not to tell the family. They didn't find out until he was so sick he ended up in the hospital. After he passed, the doctor approached my partner and her mom and explained she had known for two years that he was fighting cancer, but she wasn't allowed to say a word. And yeah, they live in a small town where everybody knows everybody's business.

Sophia Wells72 said:But let's be real—we're all talking about data privacy here, as if the law is actually being enforced yet. We don't even have a clue what the actual practice looks like, whether it'll even stick, or how it's going to function in the real world...

And that’s exactly my point. The potential for abuse is wide open.

Wait, did anyone actually claim this isn't happening? 🤷 Because we’ve all been saying right here that this MUST NOT be allowed to happen and that people need to report stuff like this.

placidorca16 said:And that is exactly what I wanted to warn everyone about. Misuse is definitely possible.

They absolutely are. Honestly, you can find potential for abuse in pretty much every field of human endeavor. Doctors aren't perfect either—they’re just people, after all. There’s an old Latin proverb that touches on this very idea...

That’s why we need to fight against those instances, but in a constructive way.

The more critical issue, though, is that it's often impossible—or at least incredibly difficult, which can end in tragedy—to properly care for a patient when their medical history isn't complete.

melloworca6 said:No, but maybe try to chill out with the poking.

Fine. Only thing is—if we’re being totally honest here—you were poking too.

Just realize that not everyone thinks the same way.

Well, I never actually thought that—not once. Not sure why you took it that way, though.