Is it legal for someone to talk to your doctor about you?

live_ur_life

i dont thing that qualifies as being legal because its your personal life. how does the receptionist know your personal life anyway?? anyway.. it wouldnt matter - its still illegal..!! only you can talk to the doctor about your personal life.

Teekno

Sure, that's legal. The doctor can't legally say anything back about you, however.

LEO53

They cannot give out your personal or medical info

McCain / Palin '08

I doubt the doctor and receptionist talk about your life they may talk about your health though. That's legal as long as it stays between the two of them and don't break any HIPPA laws.

nevyn55025

Why would that be illegal? It's the doctor that can't say anything about your health/care unless you say so. Normal people can talk as much smack about you as they want. Sorry.

They can talk to the doctor or receptionist about you, but the doctor or receptionist cannot release any info about you. The friend/family member is not bound by privacy laws. The doctor's office is. And within the doctors office, the doctor and receptionist can discuss your case professionally without breaking the law.

xanthalolly

They can talk about you all they want, BUT the Dr. can't give them any info about you. They would pretty much be talking to a wall....so don't worry your girl won't find out you have an STD;)

Roman Esteban Due April 12

Anyone can talk to your doctor about you that is not under some kind of privilege obligation. The doctor however cannot talk about your medical conditions or situation with anyone other than you, and those you have given him/her permission to discuss it with.

moonlightonalake

That is a difficult question. Gossip is not illegal; if it were the prisons would burst at the seams! The doctor is bound by law to keep your details confidential, but I doubt the same rules apply to a clerical worker/receptionist, although they should certainly be expected to be discreet. If she had revealed details about you to the general public you might have a case to make a complaint, but as she gave information to the doctor, it's tricky and would depend on what she told him, why, and how she knew.

Jay

HIPAA forbids a doctor from discussing your medical information with anyone.

However, there are two factors that make the situation you describe not fall under that.

First, your private life is not necessarily considered medical information.

Second, the receptionist at the office is considered an employee of the doctor. If handling patient records is within her job description, then she has access to your private information. She is not allowed to disclose this information, however.

You can file a HIPAA complaint, but based on what you've said, I think that you wouldn't get very far.

flika

It's not illegal unless the doctor divulges information private to you. However, her actions are highly unethical and the doctor should have put a stop to it, nor been party to it, if it was in the context of gossip.

* How can you expect any good advice when you keep adding details, after the fact, to your original question? It's fast becoming a futile complaint.

amunet

yes. it's gossip. anything offered freely to random person is able to be said to random other person. Everyone gossips at their work (some much worse then others) so i would suggest being carful who you talk to about certain things.

upallnight

It is unethical. My skin specialist doctor got in trouble just for calling out names to come back. He has to give us numbers now.

gregg

Yes. And it is just as legal for you to talk about the doctor's or receptionist's private life. But, if you or they say anything harmful or detrimental to your or their reputation, even if it is true, that is illegal. And since she disclosed information that you think caused you to not receive the proper care, she is libel, because she administered no test to confirm your use of illegal drugs. But, you have to prove that she said that. However, if the doctor did some kind of test and it came back with a positive result and the doctor questioned the receptionist and she confirmed it, there might not be anything you can do.
You keep adding things to it to change it to be in your favor.
Now, I think that you are having withdrawals from the medication.

The HIPAA rules do not cover private conversations or any employment records kept by any employers or education records.

Ashley A

Yea, everyone who works in the office, is going to know one way or another. As with HIPAA, it is illegal, but like I said the workers are going to find out so it doesn't hurt talking in the office, but it can't leave out of the office. Like where I work at there is just one nurse, one doctor, one secretary, and one receptionist/filling clerk. You have to tell the nurse what is wrong in order for the doctor to know, most people are embarrassed to tell the nurse what is wrong, but if you don't tell the nurse, than they doctor won't check you for it unless you tell him, than he will get mad if you didn't tell the nurse. Now the secretary has to fill out the claim, which means she has to look in the chart to get the diagnosis, and of course some has to file them, and give information when needed. So like I said, no it is not illegal to talk among the staff, but you can't tell anyone or anything else outside of the building, unless you don't mention a name. So basically you can't tell anyone outside of the office/hospital what is going on.

Oh and for the additional, they do that at my job also, if they know the person uses or suspects they uses drugs, they refuse to see them, because all think all they want is pain pills. Which is discrimination.

Lizzy

All I know is that there are HIPA laws but I'm not sure if that is what you are asking. It would be quite illegal if your Dr. were discussing your health (which would be a privacy violation), or anything else you told him as a patient.
For sure, her discussion of you and your private life is totally unethical.

RomeyM

Your private life, as in gossip? Gossip is not illegal yet, if Obama is elected however I expect our freedom of speech to end abruptly within one year.

hulagirl_32

Just to let you know anyone who works in the health care field should know that everything is confidential. For example the receptionist can't go home after work and call a friend and tell them a certain person came into the office today. She CAN talk to the doctor. If the doctor is going to make a decision based on what the receptionist says through gossip i would find another doctor.

Everyone working in a doctor office or hospital must abide by these rules or be fired. If you are the type of person that can't be confidential you shouldn't work in the health care field.

Nick VE

it is if you give them permission but if you don't i don't think they can

Joseph D

HIPPA is a law that protects the patient from that but we all know not everyone takes that seriously.

tyblossom

The doctor can't even say your a patient legally.

Heather

That's illigal.

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