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CLEAR Temp: 59 °F Wind: NE at 6 mph Monday, May 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 13, 2003 Starting Monday, lead registrar Bobbye Devos-Rankin will explain new medical privacy laws to hospital patients entering Providence Medford Medical Center. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Hospital patients can have complete anonymity — for better or for worse By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune The new medical privacy law allows you to become invisible when you’re admitted to a hospital. Your disappearing act might be more trouble than it’s worth, however. The federal legislation gives patients the right to anonymity during their stay in a hospital. Anonymity, however, will be total, with no exceptions. Patients who request anonymity won’t receive mail, flowers or gifts addressed to them, said Deborah Elliott, director of marketing and community relations at Providence Medford Medical Center. "Invisible is invisible," Elliott said. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act affirms a patient’s right to anonymity while hospitalized. HIPAA requires all hospitals to ask patients whether they want to "opt out" of the patient directory — the list of people who are being treated. Here’s how it works: John Doe enters a hospital on Monday, the first day of HIPAA compliance. Along with all the usual admission forms to read and sign, John will be asked to read the hospital’s privacy practices and sign a form that shows he accepts them. He’ll also be asked whether he wants to "opt out" of the hospital’s patient directory. The directory typically includes basic information such as the patient’s name, room number and telephone number in the hospital. Traditionally that information has been available to anyone who calls the hospital and asks for John Doe by name. If John does not specifically ask to opt out, nothing will change. People still will be able to ask for him by name at the switchboard and be connected to his room, or ask for his room number at the main entrance. However, if John decides to opt out of the directory, no information will be given out about him to anyone — including family members or friends who come to the hospital to visit. Nor will he receive telephone calls, flowers or gifts. For example, if John’s sister, Mary, drives in from out of state to visit him but doesn’t know his room number, no one in the hospital can tell her where to find him or even whether he’s in the hospital. Patients can decide later to "opt in" to the directory during their hospitalization. If John returns to the hospital six months later, he would have to decide all over again whether he wanted anonymity. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S