Data privacy in electronic health records (EHR)

If I’m reading this correctly, the goal is to link everything together—like a single, universal health record where everyone can see your entire medical history. Doctors at major hospitals and your local family clinic would all have access. Basically, wherever you go, they just type in your name and see everything about you. On the surface, sure, that sounds great. But honestly? To me, I see plenty of downsides to this alongside the benefits.

Lisa Myers said:The idea that they aren't allowed to talk? Sure, that's technically true. But don't hold your breath. My neighbor is a nurse. She tells me everything about anyone who walks through her ward. It’s not even like we ask; she just spills it. A friend of hers works at a CVS, too. I know everything—who’s on birth control, who’s taking psych meds...
.

And if someone actually reported them, they wouldn't be doing it anymore. People get fired from places like JPMorgan Chase just for mentioning someone's bank balance. They’d be terrified of causing a scene or getting caught by some big shot who could pull strings to save their job—or make sure they lose it. Either way, they’d watch their mouths and stop gossiping everywhere.

ruggeddrifter14 said:Of course the CDC won't just hand over results to anyone else; they send those findings directly to the clinic or the physician listed on the referral form.

Exactly. They get sent out if you have supplemental private insurance or if your specific medical code waives the co-pay. Otherwise, you have to go down there in person and pay the fee.

Furthermore, any technician who would dare hand over a patient's results to a third party is essentially gambling with their entire career. It isn't something that happens frequently, despite how much people love to stir up unnecessary drama and make a scene about it.
They conduct everything from routine blood work to sensitive HIV testing there—can you honestly imagine the chaos if they were handing out confidential lab reports to "moms" or random bystanders without verifying identity first?

Lisa Myers said:If I’m reading this right, the goal is to digitize everything—to create some kind of universal medical file where everyone has access to your entire history. Doctors at major hospitals, your local GP, whoever. Wherever you show up, they just type you in and see everything. Sure, on paper, that sounds great. But let's be real. At least to me, the downsides of that far outweigh any benefits.

I don't have an issue with it, provided my current doctor can read my records (with my full name attached) while strictly protecting my privacy—which, by the way, is already a legal requirement. There isn't much difference here; even now, when you go to a specialist, you’re lugging around a mountain of different test results that they need to see, and half the time we forget to bring something vital because we didn't realize it was important. With this system, a doctor could just pull up the file, find what they need, and move on. Similarly, I wouldn't mind if other doctors could search a database using specific keywords to compare rare conditions or diseases against my case, as long as my identity remains anonymous—just showing gender, age, and medical history. In my view, accessing personal data should require something like entering a Social Security number or swiping an insurance card to unlock that specific part of the record.

So, this is basically how they handle abuse reports.
People flag stuff, and then these guys just shrug and claim the system is perfectly secure. Period.😂

http://www.americanpatriotismandfreedom...know-it-is-common

I’m telling you—everyone in the healthcare system sees everything. There are no secrets. You can't fight it. Your only real choice is to head to a private clinic for the sensitive stuff you want kept quiet, or just brace yourself for the inevitable gossip. You know how it goes. Someone will eventually corner you and say, "Hey, my neighbor mentioned you're seeing a therapist, and honestly, even your boss knows about it," or "Why didn't you tell me you had an abortion?" It sucks. And if we keep taxing people more for a healthcare system they'll end up avoiding anyway, this cycle is just going to continue.

Nancy Morris5 said:Basically, this is how abuse reports get handled.
People report stuff, and these guys just shrug and claim the system is secure, end of story.😂

http://www.americanpatriotismandfreedom...know-it-is-many

You know what? They can ignore one report and play dumb, but they can't ignore everyone. If everybody actually started reporting things, they'd be forced to act.

I’ve also heard stories where even immediate family had no idea a loved one was dying from cancer for years. And we aren't talking about some massive metropolis; we're talking about small towns where everyone knows everyone's business. It’s crazy. A sister and a doctor might have known for two years straight and felt like they couldn't say a word. By the time the cancer metastasized and became impossible to hide, then—and only then—did the family find out. So no, nothing is served on a silver platter. Especially in rural America, everything depends on who has the inside info and how much they gossip. Some people take their jobs and their oaths way too seriously; they won't breathe a word even if they know someone is terminal, simply because they're the only ones in the room who know.

I think if everything actually worked the way Angela Wright described, it would be incredible. If someone didn't just have to type in your info, but actually had to swipe a physical card—the way you do at an ATM or a retail terminal—then anyone who accessed our files would leave a massive paper trail. Sure, people would still gossip, but the level of access would be much more restricted.

Jack probably knew exactly who was leaking this. Look, doctors and nurses take an oath to help people and protect privacy, and most of them actually give a damn. But then you have the ones who basically never signed up for any responsibility, so they don't get why people think this stuff shouldn't be public gossip. If IRS employees can't go blabbing around, then bank employees should be getting fired for leaking account balances. For crying out loud, it would be about time we let some accountant or admin go if they're talking shop like this. To me, this is a bigger violation than telling someone their husband is $2 in the hole. $0.00. 🤷

edit: And don't even get me started on those pharmacy workers who just chat away like nothing matters. They don't realize that once word gets out, people will just stop going there. I know I would personally walk right past a pharmacy if I knew the person behind the counter was some loose cannon.

If we’re looking at such a simple fix, why hasn't it happened yet? Honestly, those credit card terminals aren't even the most expensive part of the setup. It feels like someone is intentionally standing in the way.

Edit: I just remembered something. When I was going to physical therapy last year, the receptionist asked for my insurance card every single morning and swiped it through the terminal. So, clearly, the technology is already out there. It's just not being used everywhere. I haven't seen it at any other doctor's office I've visited.

It’s honestly pathetic how privacy just doesn't exist anymore. You can barely even sneeze without the whole damn country finding out about it.🙂

Lisa Myers probably needs to put some money into that, but she’s broke. 🤷 Honestly, things were better back when everything was on paper. Not just anyone could go snooping through your business, and at least you actually had it on you—you didn't just leave it sitting somewhere else.

melloworca6 said:Lisa Myers probably needs to invest some cash into that, but money is tight. 🤷 It honestly feels like things were better back when everything was on paper. Not everyone had instant access, and at least you didn't have to worry about leaving your documents sitting around someone else's house.

Absolutely.

I was just skimming through this thread, and I’ve come to a pretty unsettling conclusion: it feels like anyone and everyone working at a place like Mayo Clinic can just peer into my private medical records whenever they feel like it. 😲 😲

I find the whole situation with medical leave documentation a bit unsettling. When you submit your doctor's notes to the office, they include specific diagnostic codes that point directly to the nature of your illness.
Shouldn't the actual reason for taking sick leave be considered private information? As it stands, an HR assistant or an accountant can immediately deduce whether someone is on maternity leave or dealing with depression. It’s a bit much, isn't it? Some employees even end up memorizing these codes, and if they haven't, they can easily look up the official medical classification guidelines online.

ironsurfer8 said:I think the bigger issue is those sick leave notes you hand in at work. They have these codes on them that basically point directly to what kind of illness you actually have.
Shouldn't the reason you're out be private? Instead, the secretary or the accountant can immediately comment on who’s dealing with pregnancy issues or who’s struggling with depression and stuff like that. Some women already know the codes by heart, and if they don't, they just look up the medical code regulations online.

From what I know, some patient rights association—can't recall the exact name right now—has been trying to fix this for ages, but nothing's happening. Honestly, it's such a mess. When I had to take a few days off for an IVF procedure, my office secretary knew exactly why I was out just from looking at the code. And since she's a total gossip, I bet she told everyone. 🙄 It’s none of their business, period. 🤷

bluesurfer6 said:I just skimmed through this thread, and I’ve come to a conclusion. Does this mean anyone and everyone working at a place like Mayo Clinic can just pull up my private medical records on their computer whenever they feel like it?!!! 😲 😲

Not right now. But there are plans to change that. For the time being, any low-level clerk at the hospital can see your entire medical history.

Not every little thing in a hospital needs flagging, but we absolutely have to keep track of all the tests—mostly because patients are constantly being moved from one ward to another, sometimes multiple times in a single day. We need a clear trail of everywhere they've been, because honestly? Most patients have zero clue where they’ve been or even what kind of scans they actually had. When they show up at my radiology department, I need to know exactly where they came from, where they're headed next, and where those results need to be sent. It's just basic logistics.

How is this any different from what I just said?

So, here’s my experience with the local public health department—they basically handed me my results right after I turned in the little receipt they gave me when I dropped off my samples.
What I'm wondering is, would someone else actually be able to get my results if they showed up with that same little slip of paper? Like, what does that even mean? I mean, sure, if I handed my info to someone to go pick it up for me, why wouldn't they just give it to them? But then again, it's not like some random person is going to steal my steak just to try and swipe my medical report, right? 🙂