Electronic medical record

My internist has an electronic medical record as well. I can log in and see everything: notes from last appointments, labs, etc.

This would be intriguing to integrate into a play setting. I've asked a couple of online patients to fill one I made out on Word. It really enhanced the realism of the roleplay, especially since I intentionally made the form unnecessarily-but-actually-entirely-necessarily invasive.

What can I say? I like details.

Erecords dont work in our region. I had to stop filling shifts because in short bursts ,I couldnt seem to make it work enough to record. Social Work records do not do well with graphs, tickky boxes etc.

I know my family doc couldnt list my Hga1c in order to watch it. he now pulls out what he needs and makes a chart he can find impt thingsbut not on th e region software.

double record keeping, maybe illegal in some systems now

E-records were instituted in Ontario about ten years ago and seem to work well. Any doc, specialist, clinic, or hospital, etc., can pull up the current medical record of any patient on the system; however, I recently noticed a downside. Some years ago a young doc working after regular hours to accommodate end-of-day patients looked at and listened to symptoms I reported (resulting from side-effects of prescription medication) and booked me for four types of specialized tests at various area facilities. A week later, I returned for him to tell me I had liver cancer and booked me for additional testing (a detailed CT scan). The following week, my own MD returned from his family holiday in the Caribbean (undoubtedly on Pharma's dime) and phoned to inform me my liver was cancer-free (although the prescription meds I'd been on did, in fact, damage my liver).

The real kicker: a month or so ago, I returned to my town's medical center, again out-of-hours, and saw the same young doc of years before. In conversation, I anecdotally referred to his reporting of his earlier cancer diagnosis. He emphatically said, "I never told you that!," and immediately called up my medical history on his screen and began editing, reading, and more editing. I couldn't see the screen at my seated position, but recognized the obvious. I will never see this doc again under any circumstance and reported his behavior to a provincial oversight authority.

Electronic medical records will be the end of any medical privacy.

Electronic medical records will be the end of any medical privacy.

Electronic medical records ARE the end of any medical privacy.

It is GONE and there is NOTHING you can do about it.

HIPAA is worthless to maintain privacy. It just makes the lawmakers and some patients feel good.

Electronic medical records will be the end of any medical privacy.

I don't see why that would be the case.

In Belgium, we all have electronic medical records that can be accessed by accredited doctors or hospital staff. Obviously this saves a lot of time and effort, makes going to a different doctor far less of a hassle because you needn't bring along any files, doctors can simply access everything right on the spot. No more needing to try and explain your old problems either and also no more forgetting to tell things. This also avoids a lot of double testing (but then also prevents possible ways of earning fees for testing).

Naturally a stringent set of laws governing access and use of those records is essential to maintaining privacy and keeping the info strictly within professional, medical bounds. And this seems to not be a problem here. There is no epidemic, small scale or large, no particular sandals surrounding electronic medical records. Strict laws will in the main prohibit misuse.

Also consider that medical care is government-run and overseen. We do not have large (or small), private, corporate medical insurance companies providing health-care. That alone helps in avoiding the risk of misuse. Why?: because the pursuit of profit encourages misuse because the temptation ends up becoming to great to find a way of walking the razor's edge and trying to turn that knowledge into an advantage financially. Especially when backed up in a corporate situation.

Perhaps folks in the US should be concerned after all, because it seems like so much of everything is governed by the insatiable drive to generate profit. The whole mind set is geared to that end and therefore people cannot believe it can be done in another manner.

Electronic medical records ARE the end of any medical privacy.

HIPAA is worthless to maintain privacy. It just makes the lawmakers and some patients feel good.

I am very reluctant to tell my doctor anything other than something that something that is really bothering me. We have on-line medical records and it's nice to see my lab results and share them - but the fact that I smoke, drink, do pot (although I don't), am still sexually active, maybe use the blue wonder occasionally, doesn't need to be broadcasted. I would NEVER talk to a doctor about my kinks - don't need for someone to label me a pervert publicly!! For work, I had to allow my employer and some customer groups access to my medical records for security purposes. They didn't have to know if I smoked, or had 2 or 4 drinks per night. I didn't want some ignorant security guard interpreting my medical state or stability.

I once mis-stated "HIPPA Laws" for "HIPPO laws". Someone said the only HIPPO law he knew was they had to walked on a leash!

E-records were instituted in Ontario about ten years ago and seem to work well. Any doc, specialist, clinic, or hospital, etc., can pull up the current medical record of any patient on the system;

So, any doctor you aren't seeing can get your records? Even from your GP? Can you "opt out"? I find this very disturbing.

The real kicker: a month or so ago, I returned to my town's medical center, again out-of-hours, and saw the same young doc of years before. In conversation, I anecdotally referred to his reporting of his earlier cancer diagnosis. He emphatically said, "I never told you that!," and immediately called up my medical history on his screen and began editing, reading, and more editing. I couldn't see the screen at my seated position, but recognized the obvious. I will never see this doc again under any circumstance and reported his behavior to a provincial oversight authority.

Good for you for reporting it. I hope they do something about it. I know in the veterinary field, it's illegal to erase from a written chart, I imagine it would be the same in human medicine and on electronic records.

Electronic medical records will be the end of any medical privacy.

We still have privacy? ???

Seriously though, every little excruciating detail of our lives is being saved by "big data". This includes retailers, banks, credit card companies, our own doctor's offices, hackers, etc., so any little shred of privacy we had once upon a time is long gone. Once our information is stored on some hard drive or server, it can and does get accessed by anyone, anytime. Hackers have proven time and time again that our personal information is NOT safe. And so much of our personal information is shared by companies so they can market to us, hence all the junk snail mail and e-mail. So the cat was let out of the bag long ago on our privacy. Oh well, what can we do about it anyway?

Paranoia reigns I see.

Perhaps it is a bit more understandable in for-profit healthcare systems. Consider: your employer is the person who is initiating a contract with a medical insurer. As such this does give him leverage over the medical insurer should the employer ever wish to not only skirt the fine line of professional ethics, but also cross over. After all, if the employers can change insurers on a whim (within a contracts limits), then they can exert influence over them and therefore perhaps gain information that would otherwise not be available.

For-profit health care is a real conundrum and has more drawbacks than one would think at first.

Paranoia reigns I see.

It isn't paranoia.

It's the truth.

Besides, just because you are paranoid, that DOESN'T mean they AREN'T out to get you.

They want everything now including social security, drivers license names of relatives. I have a big problem with some of the things they ask for and have been quite snippy. They in return usually give me attitude. The staff usually either forgets to apply something. schedules my appointments at the wrong times or promises to do something and then never does it. It drives me nuts. The electronic information age is here and they know everything from your blood type to how many pairs of underwear you have. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

We saw my brother, his wife and adult children in their mid twenties over the weekend for a BBQ. He mentioned he had a physical recently and they were asking about his children and home life and NOT in the way a friend would ask--it was a nosy type of questioning that he didn't take well to. When he was asked about his relationship with his wife he got annoyed and not because there were any problems. When they asked if there were guns in the house he said it was none of their busness and the interview was over and get to the physical exam.

One thing we were taught as children was KEEP YOUR OWN COUNSEL and family affairs stay within the walls of the house. The doctors have no need for that information. They might WANT it but they don't NEED it. I give out information on a "need to know basis" and I decide what people need to know and when they need to know it.

bbw4doc, apparently my online medical records would have remained as a "private" file on the computer at my local medical center, except that I was asked whether I would be willing to "opt" to have them made available to any other doc or medical service that wished to access them. I acceded (with a signed statement) and could have refused this option. I did so on their recommendation so that if I were travelling and away from home and required emergency medical help, such as being in an accident, my medical history, including allergies, etc., could immediately be accessed without delay. I don't feel I need to keep anything hidden. It helps to consolidate records, so that the various hospitals I've been a patient at over the years for assorted surgeries and cancer treatment don't need to keep separate records.

The doc who abused my file worked within my own medical center.

The next time I see my doctor, I'm going to ask about this. I don't want my records there accessed by anyone else.

The next time I see my doctor, I'm going to ask about this. I don't want my records there accessed by anyone else.

People will get in anyway.

Your insurance company gets in whenever it wants, so do other organizations. You just don't know it, and your signing a refusal or opt-out isn't giving you any privacy.

bbw4doc, you might wish to read this . . . https://www.ehealthontario.on.ca/en/privacy/managing-access-to-your-ehr

Also . . . https://vsee.com/blog/hipaa-canada-health-information-privacy/

They want everything now including social security, drivers license names of relatives.

Uhhhh ... actually nothing even remotely like that has ever been asked me or my late wife by any doctor or specialist. And since my wife was an invalid and received compensation, the initial medical screenings were fairly intensive, but never privacy invasive and certainly never related to anything like specifics about relatives or family, drivers licenses, sexual activity/inclination or (for goodness sakes) gun ownership.

In fact, I myself have never ever been asked anything sexual at all (sometimes to my regret I have to admit). About the only private things ever asked is if I am a smoker (never, certainly not with one lung).

I really think that in the US, things are simply taken too far, people (well actually corporations) don't know when to stop or what the limits are or should be. I've said it before already, but in the medical privacy field, lack of real privacy is the inevitable consequence of having a system of for-profit health-care provided by private corporations. Their motives are suspect and in a sense skirting the line of immorality on a thin ethical razor's edge.

They want everything now including social security, drivers license names of relatives.

That is true! Medicare insurance (up untill a few weeks ago) was your Social Security Number. You had to give them both your SSN card and drivers license when you checked in so they could have a copy on file.. They also want a connection with a relative (for emergency contact - hell no, someone to collect money from if you are delinquent). The online medical charts are no more secure than your emails. Easy to hack into. Be very careful what you put out there.

They want everything now including social security, drivers license names of relatives.

I have never been asked for any of this sort of information. They DO ask for the name of someone to contact in case of an emergency and that is optional. Different laws and rules apply to different countries and locales. In my province of Ontario, only one (1) piece of identification is required: the Ontario Health Insurance Plan card. To acquire the OHIP card, yes, you must supply certain pieces of documentation to prove your identity. A driver's license is acceptable, but other less intrusive documents can also be used, such as a property tax statement that shows only your address and property roll number. Ditto for a passport or even a utility bill showing your name and address. See https://settlement.org/ontario/health/ohip-and-health-insurance/health-ohip-card/what-documents-do-i-need-to-apply-for-a-health-card-ohip/. BTW, this is the card that entitles Ontario residents to free medical service and treatment by doctors and hospital stays for tests, surgeries, CT scans, MRIs, cancer treatment - you name it!

I have never been asked for any of this sort of information. They DO ask for the name of someone to contact in case of an emergency and that is optional. Different laws and rules apply to different countries and locales. In my province of Ontario, only one (1) piece of identification is required: the Ontario Health Insurance Plan card.

There we go. At least someone who essentially says what I have been saying. And it seems that all the info that is asked for, is simply common sense information, things that can really and truly help in a medical situation. No going overboard with the questions and info gathering.

They want everything now including social security, drivers license names of relatives.

And your answer should be: "No, I don't provide my social security number to anyone." They can ask for anything they want. It doesn't mean that you have to provide it. If they don't like that, they can refuse to see you, and then you just go down the street to a more reasonable and realistic office.

I'm fine with providing all kinds of info (emergency contact information, etc). And of course they get all of my insurance information. But my SSN is off limits. Don't these people know that's the first, and most important key to someone stealing your identify? Haven't they been following the news at all?

And of course they get all of my insurance information. But my SSN is off limits. Don't these people know that's the first, and most important key to someone stealing your identify? Haven't they been following the news at all?

Up until recently, and for some still, when you go on Medicare you get a new social security card that includes your SSN and a letter (A or B) which designates your medicare coverage. It WAS your proof of insurance. No one would accept you without it unless you were a cash customer. They finally just replaced it with a new system - but I suspect there are still to be links back to your SSN-A and previous medical coverage.

I wouldn't be surprised if private insurance isn't somehow linked to your SSN - through your employer or some other means.

I don't think you can get a loan, mortgage or other financing without a credit check against - guess what - your SSN. I agree it is not well protected. Up until a few years ago, Social Security linked to the IRS mailing addresses data base based on your SSN. I found this out when I was getting ready to retire. I had originally signed up with Social Security using my Nick-Name when I was twelve. But all my annual statements and correspondence were addressed to my given name. When Social Security got their own data base - I started getting statements addressed to my nick-name. Had to go through a name change process with them and it was a MESS! Where else does the gov't cross ref against your SSN - and how well do they protect it??

Unfortunately, your SSN is used for a lot more than submitting Tax Forms whether you give it out or the gov't does. Get Identity Theft insurance - if that really works!

No, I don't provide my social security number to anyone.

Ditto for the Social Insurance Number (SIN) in Canada . . . is for use by the federal government only in connection with income received, federal tax form, and federal pension.

The "who to contact in an emergency" IS for the most part who can they call to pester until they get your new or current phone number. I took a medical billing class and that was what we were told. I mean, I suppose that yes, it does serve as the for real emergency contact, but mostly, it's so they can try to collect a debt.

@SwitchableSusie why were they so nosy at your brother's appointment? That's so crazy! I would have been the same way, interview is over, lets get on with the exam! They don't need to know all of that! I wouldn't have answered either! I mean, I understand trying to get a family history, but that is waaaay to personal!! We are searching for a new PCP and I sure hope we don't run into any of that!

@SwitchableSusie why were they so nosy at your brother's appointment? That's so crazy! I would have been the same way, interview is over, lets get on with the exam! They don't need to know all of that! I wouldn't have answered either! I mean, I understand trying to get a family history, but that is waaaay to personal!! We are searching for a new PCP and I sure hope we don't run into any of that!

They want to know about your home life for psychoshrinkical reasons, looking for reasons people are unhappy at home or don't get along with family members, commit suicide and knowing if there are guns if there is ever domestic violence, etc. It's too fucking bad. It's none of their business. Besides, if someone wants to commit suicide, or anything else to themself, that is their prerogative.

Doctors are supposed to cure disease. It's not up to medical doctors to meddle in people's personal lives and save the world, and I am not about to help them using those means. What people want to do to themselves is nobody else's business.

I can't tell you how angry I get when I hear a story on the news how the police "saved someone's life" by preventing her from killing herself. THE STUPID POLICE ruined the person's plans. She wanted to permanently check out and the asshole cops stopped her from doing it.

In case you can't tell, I am totally laissez-faire and believe everyone should mind their own business.

We saw my brother, his wife and adult children in their mid twenties over the weekend for a BBQ. He mentioned he had a physical recently and they were asking about his children and home life and NOT in the way a friend would ask--it was a nosy type of questioning that he didn't take well to. When he was asked about his relationship with his wife he got annoyed and not because there were any problems. When they asked if there were guns in the house he said it was none of their busness and the interview was over and get to the physical exam.

When I was a new patient at my doctor’s office, I was asked similar questions. When they asked about guns in my house, I told them that’s my own business, and the personal question session was over. I was polite but firm in my response. The nurse taking my history quickly moved on to medically related questions. They never asked those personal questions again.

When my wife became a new patient at my doctor’s office, she told them the same thing and they never asked her again, either.