Medical privacy rule changes: Public comments due April 26.The Bush Administration has proposed significant changes in the Clinton Administration's rules on medical privacy. The proposed rule is open for public comment for a short period of 30 days.The Washington Post summarized the changes as follows: "The proposal would alter the requirement, put in place by the Clinton administration Noun 1. Clinton administration - the executive under President Clinton executive - persons who administer the law , that patients give their written permission before their medical records may be disclosed to doctors, hospitals, pharmacies This article is a list of major pharmacies (also known as chemists and drugstores) by country. Australia Pharmacies in Australia are mostly independently-owned by pharmacists, often operated as franchises of retail brands offered by the three major and insurance companies. In the new requirements, those who use their records must at some point notify patients of their privacy rights." ("Medical Privacy Changes Proposed; Bush Plan Would Lessen less·en v. less·ened, less·en·ing, less·ens v.tr. 1. To make less; reduce. 2. Archaic To make little of; belittle. v.intr. To become less; decrease. Patients' Say on Records," by Amy Goldstein, Washington Post, March 22, 2002). The long version of the proposed changes -- 40 pages of small print in the Federal Register -- is available through the link below. A government's site, favoring favoring an animal is said to be favoring a leg when it avoids putting all of its weight on the limb. A part of being lame in a limb. the changes, is: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/ Arguments pro and con PRO AND CON. For and against. For example, affidavits are taken pro and con. can be found in the Washington Post reference above, and in The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times, "Bush Acts to Drop Core Privacy Rule on Medical Data," also March 22, 2002. Comment We have not had time to fully analyze the changes and do not intend to submit comments. But we want our readers to know about the option. We have mixed feelings about opposing the changes, because we fear that in practice, the right to give consent before one's medical records are used will be theoretical, not real. We fear that in reality, patients will just have more paperwork thrust at them to read and sign before they can get treatment at all, from any facility. Since most people who have sought medical care do not have a good option to just walk out and abandon the quest, this is not a real choice. The basic concern motivating opposition to the Bush Administration proposal -- how can personal sovereignty be maintained in a world of huge institutions that seldom respect people -- is one of the central issues of our time. But creating formal rights that are not practical to use could discredit TO DISCREDIT, practice, evidence. To deprive one of credit or confidence. 2. In general, a party may discredit a witness called by the opposite party, who testifies against him, by proving that his character is such as not to entitle him to credit or this quest and do more harm than good. We need to find other ways to proceed. |
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