Posts Tagged ‘New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice’
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Giving Patients the Tools to Manage Health Care
By Amy Schwartz, Associate Director
New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice
In early November, my husband and I bought a new minivan. A couple of weeks ago, I got an email. It was time for my first maintenance check, and the dealership sent a link for me to log in and make an appointment. I viewed the entire schedule and selected a day and time that worked for me. I then received a confirmation email moments later and added it to my calendar. I checked my iPhone application as to what the estimated first “check-up” should cost, and I was in and out of the dealership in an hour, knowing how much of a check I was going to be writing. And they had coffee and CNN.
Compare and contrast that, if you will, with my latest health care experience. Just before Christmas, I had to get a minor medical test. Per my detailed instructions for the appointment time I was given, I arrived at 8:00am to register and check in. I had to stand in line, in order to sign up to register. Once I was called in to register, I was directed to one of four people doing registration at the outpatient hospital center, each in their own private room, due to HIPAA regulations. This is laudable except each patient receives a computer-generated bracelet to wear, indicating name, date of birth, PCP and health care record number. These bracelets are probably a good idea as to avoid amputating the wrong leg or administering chemotherapy by mistake. However, a note: the bracelet included almost all identifying information—even ordering physician—but excluded which test or procedure he had ordered (unless of course, it was the only coded piece of information listed). My fleeting thought was that if I were to clip it off and throw it away in the bathroom trash can on the way out the door, someone could emerge with my identity soon thereafter.
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