A reported rash of new lawsuits offers a poignant, sadly recurrent reminder: Aspiring parents who rely on commercial sperm banks for critical reproductive tissues must heed an ancient consumer prescription: caveat emptor. The New York Times says litigation, from Florida to California, Canada to the UK, all raises serious questions about the light or nonexistent regulation….
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Orlando shootings raise health care concerns
Here’s hoping that the mass shooting in Orlando will focus attention on some health care issues that the event flushed into open view: Do we need to update and rethink policies that restrict or bar certain groups from blood donation? Gay activists and others have denounced anew these restrictions. They say these rules unnecessarily stigmatize….
Continue ReadingWhen money is no object, quality of care can suffer
Because money makes such a difference in health care in the United States, what happens when it’s no object? The results aren’t pretty, a prestigious Boston hospital has found. It rolled out the red carpet and penthouse suites for a Saudi prince who stayed for seven months of therapy for a drug-resistant infection. His lavish….
Continue ReadingA sick use of cellphone pics, social media: staffers’ abuse of aged patients
Not all care-giving positions carry high status or lavish compensation. Still, why would anyone take on any health care work lacking basic common sense and the tiniest bit of compassion? That’s what you might be asking after the latest head-shaking reporting about invasions of patients’ privacy: Pro Publica’s Charles Ornstein has found at least three….
Continue ReadingThe Darker Side of Workplace Wellness Programs
Corporate wellness programs aren’t new, but their popularity is growing as companies seek ways to minimize spending on health care. But a lot of people within and outside of the health-care system question many of these programs in terms of their real health value, their financial benefit and their potential to invade employee privacy. One….
Continue ReadingProtect Yourself Against Medical ID Theft
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal published an unnerving story about what can happen to your sense of security, not to mention your actual financial security, when someone steals your medical information. “How Identity Theft Sticks YouWith Hospital Bills” (behind The Journal’s paywall) makes clear that medical identity theft is a fast-growing crime thanks….
Continue ReadingWrong but Common Words: “We Can’t Tell You; It Would Violate HIPAA”
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a familiar document to anyone who’s had a medical appointment or procedure in the last couple of decades. It defines standards for the use and dissemination of health-care information, and directs how organizations must protect electronic medical records. It’s championed as a protector of privacy rights,….
Continue ReadingWhen Malpractice Starts with a Doctor’s Mouth
A northern Virginia man successfully sued a doctor for defamation and medical malpractice, earlier this month receiving a judgment of $500,000 for the serious – and, frankly, weird – ethical and medical harm he suffered during a colonoscopy. The case is weird because “defamation” is something plaintiffs who are medically harmed don’t often claim, and….
Continue ReadingDoctor Challenges Drug Database Monitors on Privacy Grounds
The epidemic of accidental deaths due to overdosing on opioid medicines has been well-documented. The perils of chronic pain management are the subject of Patrick’s patient safety newsletter this month. One way authorities are dealing with the problem is via a database of controlled drug use, so that practitioners and pharmacists can see if patients….
Continue ReadingFew Consequences Result When Health Data Is Breached
A recent investigation by ProPublica.org shows not only that the medical community regularly abuses patient privacy, but that the responsible parties are seldom punished. Since October 2009, more than 1,140 significant breaches of patient data have been reported by providers, organizations and their third-party associates. The information involved more than 41 million people, and pilfered….
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