Areas where we should probably respect privacy
First Lady Melania Trump goes to Walter Reed for treatment of a benign kidney issue. Former Senator Harry Reid is being treated for pancreatic cancer. The public wants details. Selena Gomez had a kidney transplant. The late Margot Kidder suffered from bipolar disorder which resulted in a widely publicized manic episode back in 1996.
We live in a culture of celebrity. How else could TMZ and the National Enquirer (and many other tabloids) be so wildly successful? I have no objection to reporting who is dating who, who is cheating on their spouse/lover and so on. But I think there needs to be respect for privacy when it comes to medical issues, IF, the person requests it.
I've been very open about my health issues. I'm going to write about a new one when I'm done ranting about privacy. It is my right to choose what I share about my health. We have laws about protecting patient privacy.
George Clooney
Britney Spears
Richard Collier of the Jacksonville Jaguars
Octomom Nadya Suleman
Anne Pressly, a local news anchor in Little Rock, Arkansas
Michael Jackson
Gabby Giffords
Kim Kardashian
Dr. Rick Sacra, who contracted Ebola while treating patients in Africa
What do these people of note have in common? All of them had their privacy violated by workers at hospitals where they were being treated. 27 workers were suspended without pay for a month for snooping into the records of George Clooney at the hospital where he was treated following a motorcycle accident. UCLA Medical Center fired at least 13 people for improperly accessing the medical records of Britney Spears while she was a patient in the hospital's psychiatric ward. A medical researcher at UCLA was sentenced to four months in federal prison in one of the first prosecutions involving violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)'s privacy rules.
Why do people put their careers and freedom at risk? Puerile curiosity? Perhaps. Financial gain? Possibly.
If someone wants to share the details of a medical issue, fine. If they ask for privacy, we should respect that request.
* * *
I've told my health story before. But I'm going to recap it here rather than send someone who hasn't yet read it back to an old blog. Back in July of 2009 I was driving to an appointment on a Saturday morning when I started having trouble breathing. More than the usual trouble. I went to the Emergency Room at the hospital in Marina Del Rey. I would wind up spending 11 days in the ICU, most of which was spent with a tube down my throat (intubation). All in all I was laid up until September. Then in May of the following year I again was struggling to breath while driving, this time to my new job. I got to the ER at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, sat down at the Triage station and passed out. I woke up nine weeks later. I would spend three months there, another nine months at the Little Company of Mary Sub-Acute Facility in San Pedro and another year recovering after being moved to an Assisted Living Facility. The diagnosis was Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
During the first ten months of that time at the hospital/sub-acute, I had a tube in my throat. They had performed a tracheostomy to save my life. When I was hospitalized back in 2009, one of the two pulmonologists on my case was worried they wouldn't be able to wean me off of oxygen through a nasal cannula. But that wasn't an issue. Nor was it an issue when I was much sicker the following year. When I went to the Assisted Living Facility, I did not have oxygen tanks.
I've had oxygen tanks for use while walking for a number of years now. But in recent months, my breathing has worsened. I don't need oxygen at rest or when walking around my home, but I need it more than ever when I'm out and about.
I saw another pulmonologist last week. He is speculating that the cause could be something called tracheal stenosis. That typically happens after long periods of intubation. It isn't a major concern at this point. We have a plan for the next six months after which I'll have some more detailed tests on the situation. At that point I might need an outpatient surgical procedure.
I was watching an afternoon of reruns of Grey's Anatomy the other day and it was the time when patient "Denny Duquette" (played brilliantly by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). When discussing his decision to sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, he said something to the effect of, "I'm a big strong horse of a man stuck in this broken body." Oh how I identify with that sentiment.
When I was stationed in South Korea I ran five miles a day after work, unless there was a volleyball match. After my second marriage broke up, I got back into shape and was running half-marathons and bicycling over 100 miles per week. I went on a few 100 mile rides around the area on weekends. They'd take all day but were well worth it. One time I came down old Sepulveda from Mulholland hitting speeds in excess of 50 mph on my mountain bike (yes, that was insane to do).
Now I can spend a few minutes on my feet and begin to get short of breath. I don't like it.
What is the point? I chose to share this information. No one violated my privacy. Then again, since I'm not famous, no one would have a motive to do that to me.
We live in a culture of celebrity. How else could TMZ and the National Enquirer (and many other tabloids) be so wildly successful? I have no objection to reporting who is dating who, who is cheating on their spouse/lover and so on. But I think there needs to be respect for privacy when it comes to medical issues, IF, the person requests it.
I've been very open about my health issues. I'm going to write about a new one when I'm done ranting about privacy. It is my right to choose what I share about my health. We have laws about protecting patient privacy.
George Clooney
Britney Spears
Richard Collier of the Jacksonville Jaguars
Octomom Nadya Suleman
Anne Pressly, a local news anchor in Little Rock, Arkansas
Michael Jackson
Gabby Giffords
Kim Kardashian
Dr. Rick Sacra, who contracted Ebola while treating patients in Africa
What do these people of note have in common? All of them had their privacy violated by workers at hospitals where they were being treated. 27 workers were suspended without pay for a month for snooping into the records of George Clooney at the hospital where he was treated following a motorcycle accident. UCLA Medical Center fired at least 13 people for improperly accessing the medical records of Britney Spears while she was a patient in the hospital's psychiatric ward. A medical researcher at UCLA was sentenced to four months in federal prison in one of the first prosecutions involving violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)'s privacy rules.
Why do people put their careers and freedom at risk? Puerile curiosity? Perhaps. Financial gain? Possibly.
If someone wants to share the details of a medical issue, fine. If they ask for privacy, we should respect that request.
* * *
I've told my health story before. But I'm going to recap it here rather than send someone who hasn't yet read it back to an old blog. Back in July of 2009 I was driving to an appointment on a Saturday morning when I started having trouble breathing. More than the usual trouble. I went to the Emergency Room at the hospital in Marina Del Rey. I would wind up spending 11 days in the ICU, most of which was spent with a tube down my throat (intubation). All in all I was laid up until September. Then in May of the following year I again was struggling to breath while driving, this time to my new job. I got to the ER at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center, sat down at the Triage station and passed out. I woke up nine weeks later. I would spend three months there, another nine months at the Little Company of Mary Sub-Acute Facility in San Pedro and another year recovering after being moved to an Assisted Living Facility. The diagnosis was Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
During the first ten months of that time at the hospital/sub-acute, I had a tube in my throat. They had performed a tracheostomy to save my life. When I was hospitalized back in 2009, one of the two pulmonologists on my case was worried they wouldn't be able to wean me off of oxygen through a nasal cannula. But that wasn't an issue. Nor was it an issue when I was much sicker the following year. When I went to the Assisted Living Facility, I did not have oxygen tanks.
I've had oxygen tanks for use while walking for a number of years now. But in recent months, my breathing has worsened. I don't need oxygen at rest or when walking around my home, but I need it more than ever when I'm out and about.
I saw another pulmonologist last week. He is speculating that the cause could be something called tracheal stenosis. That typically happens after long periods of intubation. It isn't a major concern at this point. We have a plan for the next six months after which I'll have some more detailed tests on the situation. At that point I might need an outpatient surgical procedure.
I was watching an afternoon of reruns of Grey's Anatomy the other day and it was the time when patient "Denny Duquette" (played brilliantly by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). When discussing his decision to sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, he said something to the effect of, "I'm a big strong horse of a man stuck in this broken body." Oh how I identify with that sentiment.
When I was stationed in South Korea I ran five miles a day after work, unless there was a volleyball match. After my second marriage broke up, I got back into shape and was running half-marathons and bicycling over 100 miles per week. I went on a few 100 mile rides around the area on weekends. They'd take all day but were well worth it. One time I came down old Sepulveda from Mulholland hitting speeds in excess of 50 mph on my mountain bike (yes, that was insane to do).
Now I can spend a few minutes on my feet and begin to get short of breath. I don't like it.
What is the point? I chose to share this information. No one violated my privacy. Then again, since I'm not famous, no one would have a motive to do that to me.
posted by me at 7:56 AM
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