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Diane Sawyer------seriously?

Posted: Sep 13, 2012

Did anyone see Diane Sawyer tonight? She did a segment on medical records for sale on the Internet. Who did she blame? Doctors, nurses, clerks. Not one word was mentioned that these records are going offshore. One man in the story said his name, SS#, insurance information, along with all his medical information. Gee, why are we not surprised?

Apparently with two clicks of the mouse this Internet security guy was able to access lists of patients and their diagnoses. This information is being sold to people who then target these patients to sell them meds, for instance they showed all of the diabetic patients who need insulin and diabetic testing supplies. I was appalled at them blaming the American Healthcare workers for this. Not that there are not some dishonest American workers, but when so much of this info is going to 3rd world countries, I think they are looking in the wrong play yard.

;

I guess my question would be is are they - accusing the healthcare

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workers of selling or their computer systems not having the adequate security that hackers are able to access and retrieve the info and sell? I also work in a clinic that has an EMR system, and I don't think it would be that hard for a hacker to access if you don't have an IT person that knows what they are doing.

Seriously - Travelin MT

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The insinuation seemed to me to be that dishonest healthcare workers were in cahoots with selling the records to them. Them being these companies that have sprung up and are doing this for profit.

My bet is more on some third world people looking to make more money. It is not like they haven't tried to hold records hostage for more money already.

"...hold records hostage for more money..." Please cite your source. - Des

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nm

Yes, there was such a situation. About 8-9 years ago. - nm

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s

Google Lubna Baloch (nm) - MT

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x

Cite your source - sm - Travelin MT

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Univ. Of California San Francisco Medical Center had their reports held hostage for more money, several years ago when off shoring began. It has happened to others too, I just can't give you a list of all of them.

I travel all over the US to many hospitals for work and I hear a lot of things one would not hear sitting in the same location every day.

Well, at least it's a start. Maybe we need to send a - response to the segment.

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Anyway, if it gets people thinking about their medical records, and the fact that they can be bought and sold, then sooner or later the topic of offshoring those records is bound to come up. Why not hurry that along by writing?

Healthcare marketing - Alice

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I believe that someone sells lists of patients who have certain diseases so that they can be used in healthcare marketing. This seems to be a common practice. For instance, soon after I was diagnosed with diabetes, I started receiving all kinds of offers in the mail, including free testing lancets along with a coupon to buy more. I wondered how this company knew that I might need these? IMHO, either the info was sold by the insurance company or the doctor's office. Of course, I have no way of knowing whether or not my information was secure or what what included, such as my SSN#, etc., but I know that my name, address, and diagnosis were provided.

Another issue is that I felt my healthcare team and insurance company actually preferred that I continue to be diabetic for the purpose of their profit. No one told me the true cure, which was to stop consuming any simple sugar and seriously cut out all carbs. Now, I haven't needed to be a diabetic customer for at least 5 years.

Why would our healthcare industry want us to continue participating with a chronic disease? IMHO, it's all about profit, and it's going to get worse. This profit priority doesn't just affect MT jobs, but it affects the way healthcare is actually provided, whether to provide the patient with the cure or to keep the patient chronically ill, IMHO. I'm referring to chronic illness here, not such treatments as curative surgery.

I tend to agree..... - anon2

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I also tend to feel that most doctors have become glorified sales people, and this is just from doing their dictations, not from personal experience, as I will not go to a doctor unless I am on a deathbed, but just by listening to what they dictate, they pretty much "push" certain medications and such. I do orthopedics primarily and the "drug of choice" is either a corticosteroid such as Kenalog, or a viscosupplementation such as Supartz. These are just "Band-Aids" as far as I am concerned, an instant pain reliever, but does not really address the root of the problem. I get very cautious when I hear dictation after dictation pushing the same medications. I also used to do a bit of coding for a local physician many years ago and was astounded that the same diagnosis was being given for the thousands of patients that were being run through the office like cattle. I even stopped once and voiced verbally that "not ALL of these patients can possibly have the exact same diagnosis!" I was met with stoney hostility, told to just do my job, and not question "authority." Meanwhile the doc himself was having his patients driven to their surgery appointments at a hospital in another state because he had lost his privileges to do surgery in OUR state a long time ago, for fraud nonetheless, and these patients were being transported by limosine, no less! I have felt for a long time that the medical practice has become more of a "business operation" these days than being their to "help" ill people! I really should not "bite the hand that feeds me," but I cannot in all honesty "close a blind eye" to the goings on in the medical field either. All of this disturbs me to no end!

Telemarketing List for Diabetes - Old Anon

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I know for a fact I was put on a list to get calls for diabetic products by my insurance company. They had offered me a supplemental program to have a nurse follow me for my health issues (asthma), and they would pay me $100. I said okay because it was easy money. She called me 3 or 4 times. We chatted. I told her I'd also like to lose a little weight. She sent me some material in the mail but somehow got it into her head that I had diabetes, which was absolutely never mentioned by me. On our last call to close out the program, she asked me how I was doing with my diabetes to which I stated "I don't have diabetes and have never had that diagnosis", and she seemed surprised. Ever since, I've been getting the marketing calls for diabetes supplies. So, it definitely was the insurance company that sold my name. I believe you can opt out of having your name released in this manner. You'd have to read the insurance company's privacy policy brochure to see how.

Seriously - Travelin' MT

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One of the patient's on the show was astonished that his name, address, ss #, along with his ins company info, was put out to the public when according to HIPPA medical records supposed to be confidential. We all know thiis info comes up on the screen. I have always said it s theft identity waiting to happen, especially when we offshore it with no oversight. I know we are all hurting financially in this field but my money is on an offshore get more money scheme. Offshore workers will lose a job, US workers will face jail time.

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