I am fuming mad!

Yeah, privacy!  My 'violation' happened after my surgery when I had just started chemo (with all the aversion of the dog going to the vet) when I missed a "private" call to my cell phone.  The next day, I caught it and it was someone from my state's department of public health wanting me to participate in a study, supposedly to correlate support/race or ethnicity/outcomes. She goes through this whole explanation of how this would just entail interviews and then at the very end slips in that they will also want a blood sample and my permission to get a tumor sample from the hospital!  I read that woman the riot act, all 3 chapters.  I told her she was lying to me--there is no way to correlate "support systems" to tumor info.  I told her that given that the DPH was so glib about lying, I couldn't trust them to maintain any kind of confidentiality or privacy.  There would be nothing to stop them from testing me for BRCA.  Once that genie is loose, they put me AND MY DAUGHTERS at risk of discrimination.  I told her I felt as violated by her call as I did when they slashed off the top third of my boob and if I ever heard from DPH again, I'd come down there and punch them in the nose (with my 'good arm' so as not to risk aggrevating any LE.)

I'm sure my state required the hospital where I had my surgery/biopsy to report findings to the DPH.  But they can be pretty loose, and if someone there violates HIPPA, the genie can't be put back in the bottle.  How about my postman seeing the DPH hand-addressed letter that came?  Does he assume I'm getting a syphillis notification?!?  I believe HIPPA violations can carry fines of $50K.  I'd call the legal dept. at the hospital and ask them how they are going to "make you whole" after publicly announcing your health status by virtue of their mailing?  They'll hem and haw and say there's no HIPPA violation (and they assume YOU'LL DIE before you can bring a suit, the bastards) but you can at least give someone some agita to quench your (justified) anger.

Dona Nobis Pacem,

Beth

Unbelievable -- the motivation is pure greed, not care. 

Here's a link for filing a HIPAA violation complaint with the federal Office of Civil Rights it's free):  http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html  You can submit online, but if you're near one of the offices, go in person.

I know it't a federal gov't entity but these things can work.  I used the federal Tax Advocate (and was a "squeaky wheel with my frequent calls), and took the IRS to task and won!  If that can happen, anything can!

The insatiable greed of the health care industry is beyond belief.

Achi

I'll be interested to see how this turns out. Keep us posted.

I am still getting literature from the hospital i had my surgeries at. Sometimes they couch it in "follow-up" questions but overall I know it's an attempt to market me.