Confidentiality at the Doctor/Dentist Office? (page 2)

Sentinel

I thought "god"--the JW god--was supposed to know everything. Why would anyone believe that they needed to "tattle" on someone else in such personal and private matters? I've always had a problem with this JW mentality.

/<

Gretchen956

The Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, the body that directs church affairs, says there is no policy forcing members to report sinful acts or divulge private information. That choice is up to members, according to Phillip Brumley, general counsel for the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based group.
"They should study the scriptures, and what they do is up to them," said Mr. Brumley. If there is a conflict, he said, a member should "think that through and decide what to do."

This red text was of great interest to me. When I was young the other churches were always making the allegation that JWs were not christian. At that point there was a very marked change in the writings of the WTS to include numerous references to Jesus and make sure everyone knew we believed in Jesus. (a common playground taunt was --you guys don't believe in Jesus). So looks like the PR machine at the society is still working on that perception.

Secondly, as others have pointed out before, they tell the public that things are up to your conscious. They say this about the blood issue, voting, and this tattling thing. Yes, technically that is true. But inside the cult they make sure you know you will be damned to a lifetime of shunning by friends and family if you break that taboo.

What a crock.

Gretchen

lauralisa

Does anyone remember having the "principle" taken from Lev 5:1 used over and over to illustrate HOW one should decide what to do when there is a conflict of conscious?

"Now in case a soul sins in that he has heard public cursing and he is a witness or has seen it or has come to know of it, if he does not report it, then he must answer for his error"

I remember the fear and trembling after some CO visit - the STORIES - entire congregations, stripped of the holy spirit and all stricken w/ leprosy, all because someone failed to bring their "spiritually sick" brother/sister's failing to the elders!!!

That bookkeeper's actions were indefensible, but I REMEMBER that fear, and was so entrenched in the thing....

Perhaps they should revisit the principle found in James 3:8: "but the tongue, not one of mankind can get it tamed. An unruly injurious thing, it is full of death-dealing poison."

LOL... the insurance company could LOSE CUSTOMERS if sued. One bookkeeper's actions ripped someone's life apart, and she did the "right thing."

Thanks Blondie for another good one.

wednesday

Many years ago i quit going ot JWS doctors and doctors who employ JWS (if ican find that out). I've had my medical problems freely discussed by very stupid doctor office employees. the damage JWS have done to so many in this regard probably can never be undone. U really do risk your privacy by going to any JWS doctor, nurse, or really going to anyone who employs them.

concerned mama

Our business is one in which confidentiality is important. We have one JW employee, who works in a non-secure area of the business. She is an excellent employee, works hard, is reliable and is pleasant to her co-workers. Never the less, I have made sure that her manager knows about the Watchtower's, thus possibly her, attitude for privacy and confidentiallity, and we are careful which areas she works in and what information she has access to. I wish the situation was different as this woman is someone who we would normally liked to use in more sensive and responsible areas because of her excellent work.

CountryGuy

Shouldn't HIPPA regulations prevent this from happening in the future?

Oh wait... that's just Man's Law. How silly of me. Ever notice that if it's not convenient for them, they can always use the Jehovah's Law above Man's Law trump card?

I would have definately sued. The WT would get off, that's for sure. But, I wonder how it would look to members when they abandoned the informant and left them out to dry.

Country

mrs rocky2

Yes, HIPAA was designed to take care of breaches in confidentiality, and anyone can file a complaint with Health & Human Services, even on behalf of another person. However, if you do file a complaint you will need to be prepared to show exactly what part of the HIPAA law was violated. All health care providers who bill for their services using electronic billing are required to train all employess regarding HIPAA privacy. There are penalities (up to $25,000 plus up to 1 year and 1 day in jail) for being found guilty of breaching HIPAA privacy...but, as I mentioned previously, filing a complaint can be tedious. The first place to complain would be to the JW employee's supervisor.

I remember hearing public talks and convention/assembly parts about how trustworthy JWs are as employees. Unfortunately this does not apply to the medical field with privacy. From personal experience, I know that rank and file JWs are willing to risk their jobs to report wrongdoing they learn of during the course of their employment.

Scully

Whenever I log in to the computer system at work, I have to click "I ACCEPT" the Terms and Conditions of use of the system. The Terms and Conditions at the very top of the list are those regarding patient confidentiality. By agreeing to the terms of use, I acknowledge that my employment can be terminated immediately by any breach of patient confidentiality. Whenever I see it, I think of this incident involving Dr. Bullock, and my essay.

I wouldn't be surprised if other hospitals and health care facilities, including physicians' offices, have a similar set up to protect the confidentiality of their patients.

In a wacky kind of way, perhaps we should be thanking JWs for their utter disrespect of patient confidentiality, because they have been a focal point in the creation of privacy protection legislation. Isn't it funny how the Society doesn't write it up in the magazines though?

Love, Scully

willyloman

Thanks, Blondie, for posting this. I am having surgery in the near future. In discussing this with my surgeon, he brought up blood and said his procedures don't lead to much blood loss -- he uses cell salvage machinery -- but that he'd like me to store some of my own to have on hand in an emergency.

As I am newly "out"" this was my first opportunity to think about my current position on blood. I thought this was a reasonable solution and readily agreed to donate my own in advance. As we exited the examination room where this discussion took place, I ran into another physician in his office who looked familiar. He shook hands and said his name, which I'd forgotten. "Do you know each other," my surgeon asked. "Yes," said the other doctor. "I know him from the Kingdom Hall."

The surgeon had turned to go, but quickly spun around and looked at me. "So you're a...," he began. He stopped for a second. "But you're okay with this procedure we just discussed?"

"I certainly am," I said. The surgeon nodded and said, "Okay, good," and went on about his business.

I looked at the other doctor, who I now recognized as the husband of a "sister" in my previous hall, a guy who had come to a couple of meetings in a year. I had met him but never inquired about his employment, and his wife never introduced him as "doctor so and so," but merely by his first name.

"If they can collect my blood into a machine, whirl it around and run it through a filter and put it back into my body, I don't see any difference between that and storing it for a few weeks. It's all the same thing to me." He smiled and we exchanged some chit chat about families and so forth. I didn't mention to him that I hadn't been to a meeting in six months. When I left, he said, "See you in surgery."

Some days later, a dub co-worker dropped by my office to chat about my upcoming surgery and I mentioned running into this guy. Turns out he knows the wife fairly well. "He's not in the truth," he said. "He has some issues about blood transfusions."

Based on that, I decided not to worry about him ratting me out and spoiling my successful (so far) fade. But I think I will keep this legal case information handy, just in case it becomes an issue. If he tells his wife, and she says something to one of her elders, I wonder if I'd have a case?

Scully

willyloman writes:

If he tells his wife, and she says something to one of her elders, I wonder if I'd have a case?

You can bet your sweet bippy you would!! It might be wise to ask your surgeon who exactly has access to your medical records. If he asks why, tell him you know about Dr. Bullock's experience and are just interested in maintaining the highest level of confidentiality possible.

Good luck with the surgery!

Love, Scully

Confidentiality at the Doctor/Dentist Office?

Share this