About 3-4 years ago I'd just finished a project which included me
learning a bunch about medical privacy rules.
Right then I found out about changes to how California was
collecting prescription data at California's equivalent of the DEA:
that is, this database. I was curious about their privacy policy- I
have every right to be and to ask about it- and called them up.
"Hi, I'd like to talk to the person in charge of you privacy
policy."
"How'd you get this number?"
"It's on your website- it's you office's main number."
"This isn't a number for the public."
"OK, just connect me through to the person in charge of the privacy
policy."
"Priva...what? We don't... give... let me take your number, we'll
have to call you back."
They never called back. When I called again 2 weeks later, the
number went to a recording saying that it was for official use
only.
At the time, I recall reading claims that they weren't getting
medical records, therefore the privacy implications weren't
the same.
Never mind that some prescription medicines tell you just about
exactly what medical condition the patient has. So, for instance,
if you have narcolepsy, or if you have AD(H)D, then the government
and every law agency knows you have it too*. Same for men needing
an androgen boost (boy, that information can't
be misused). Yay patient confidentiality. Swearwordy swearwording
swearworders.
And the data never expires, either. 10 or 30 years from now,
the gov't will still know that I took sleeping meds (schedule IV)
and a benzo (sch. III) back in 2004. Belgiumers.
I'm happy I took them then, and will recommend them for anyone in
similarly stressful situations**. If I was applying for a sensitive
job I'd be nonplussed about telling an interviewer that I'm
the sort of person who now knows to stop insomnia on the first
night. But that they'd know about it before I said a word?
"And why did you start taking an anti-anxiety medicine back in
2008?"
"Because I discovered that my government was acting more and more
like Big Brother."
"Big Brother?"
"Yeah. For example, they were tracking every medicine I took."
------------
* Schedule II- cocaine, raw opium, ritalin, PCP. Because we must
protect against those dangerous, dangerous Focused.
** While current stress meds are achingly primitive compared what
will exist in a few years***, cortisol floods are far, far worse. I
know firsthand that Fight Or Flight is less than a worthless
reaction if you're filling out DNR forms in an ICU. And even less
useful for the next DNR for the next ICU (I had power of
attorney).
*** It's all about the receptor sites. They're finally able to
build meds that target only the useful sites and skip the
potential-for-addiction receptors.
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