I think many people can't visualize a calender for open appointments and want to actually see the chart.

I get what you're saying, I feel the same way at the store when I'm paying for my purchases. I hate when people invade my space or try to watch me key my pin.

Have you thought of having a little sign similar to those in banks and pharmacies which ask people to stand back in order to protect the privacy of others? No one seems to object to that and I think most of us appreciate it. I can't believe what your patients do! You are entitled to rant!!!

I agree with Cyn427 - a sign stating that keeping on their side of the counter is the law is in order here. That way, you will never be perceived as 'the bad guy' - the law will. :-)

Gee that's really rude- even if it wasn't a privacy issue. You could try a sign that reads "Please wait here while I schedule your appointment." Or if you think it should be worded stronger "In accordance with HIPPA regulations, please remain here."

lukkiirish, I did a topic once about people standing right next to me at the checkout counter while I'm paying for my groceries. That is MY space and get out of it! lol. Usually it's older ladies for some reason. It is my biggest pet peeve...ever.

Ttodd, some people just don't get it. Either they're totally oblivious of what they're doing, or big buttinskys.

My friend who is an R.N. did something shocking a few weeks ago. She works for her husband who is a doctor, and I was there seeing the other doctor. She always comes and sits with me while I wait if she's between patients.

We were talking about my diabetes one day and she looked at the receptionist who was only 5 feet away from where we were sitting and said to me in a loud voice that "so and so has diabetes and she won't stop eating junk food."

Talk about patient confidentiality! And my friend is sharp as a whip, even teaches nursing in college! Whoa.

One of my docs' office has a line painted on the floor with one of those small metal signs saying to stand behind it until you are next. It seems to work fine. In another office, however, they still have you write your name and your docs name on this list that they call you from them. How is that NOT against HIPPA?

deedee- As the assistant to the General Counsel,I used to be the "go to person" in my association when HIPAA was first instituted- the privacy portion in any case. Neither of the offices you mention are in violation. It is not against HIPAA to put your name down or the doctor on a sign in sheet. It is against HIPAA to have to write down the reason for a visit. A few companies and consultants made a fortune selling special peel away labels for the sign in sheet. Crossing off the name after they call it is fine. Just as it has been ruled it is ok for them to call Mrs. Smith when it is her turn to be seen.
They need to take reasonable(which is open to interpretation) precautions to protect patient privacy and be able to prove that they have taken the necessary steps.

Don't get me going on this topic! I work in Labor and Delivery in a large hospital. Families (moms esp.!) want to stand with their ears literally to the door of the room. First of all, heaven forbid if we needed to get in or out of the room quickly. Secondly, if the patient wanted them to hear everything, they would be invited in the room. The other thing that really irks me is when family members just walk into a room without knocking. Many times they have the wrong room or it is not a good time for visitors IYKWIM!

I've seen this in the doc's office where my little DD works. It's crazy and people are so unaware of how intrusive they are. Even at my bank, people try to hang over the counter to see my computer screen. Well, not everything on my monitor relates to them. So I just give them a firm glance and move the monitor, saying something like, "I'm sorry, you are not allowed to look at my screen!" They are irritated, but then, so am I.

Red

Talk about people walking into rooms! Here's one for the record books I had forgotten about until I read rnmomof2's post.

Five years ago I had a hysterectomy. My dh went with me to the doctor because I was very sick. I went into the exam room by myself, and of course the doctor put me in stirrups to do the checkup. He wanted my dh to be in there with me so he would know what I'd be going through during surgery.

I told the nurse his first name so she could call him from the waiting room, and another man by the same name just walked into the room while I was there in all my glory! lol. My dh didn't hear his name being called! Talk about embarrassing for the both of us.

Our doctor's office has a sign in sheet also, and I have to admit to quickly scanning the names on there. Me bad. :)

Not sure why someone would scan the sign-in sheet, but Oakley you did say you are in a small town where everyone knows everyone's business! LOL

I can't think of a doctor I go to where you can actually get to the person doing the scheduling, billing, whatever. They are behind a counter and the computer screen faces away from the patients. You'd have to go through a door to get to the person or her computer.

My allergist does a neat thing - you don't sign in on a sheet - we have a card that we slide through a little thingy att'd to a computer (just like a debit or credit card) and it identifies you. So the office personnel know who's there. It also tells you how many are in line ahead of you.

Ttodd - how about a privacy screen on your computer?

tina

Privacy screen is a great suggestion, Tina.
I have one on my cell screen (cuz it makes a great antiglare screen, which is the reason I have it). But I did notice if you're not viewing it straight on you can't make out what's on there.

3M makes some good ones for computers. (To check them out you have to pick your computer style first at that link.) An office could probably write it off as an expense.

Just playing devil's advocate here, but I think that most people who are at the doctor's office aren't giving a single thought to patient privacy. They're caught up in their own issues, and probably not even remotely aware that they're stepping over any boundaries when they try to look at a computer screen. I've probably been guilty of this a time or two myself, when trying to schedule a follow-up. I might have craned my neck to try to see the calendar onscreen that the office employee is looking at, because I don't have one in front of me. I may have also been guilty of standing somewhere I shouldn't at my new doctor's office, because it's a total freakin' maze back in the area where patients are seen in separate rooms. Once you do find your way back to a desk where staff is working, there's nothing to indicate that you walk on around to the window and see a certain woman. So I (and I'm sure countless others) have just stood there at the first desk we come to, waiting on someone to assist us. In other words, there are no clear directions on where/how to proceed, and it's especially confusing for new patients.

Getting in someone's personal space to the point of crowding them is probably unintentional as well, but I will agree that it's incredibly annoying.

Yep -- people literally need to be told how to behave in certain situations -- especially ones where they (and others) may be tense or nervous or upset.

Perhaps draw a line (yep -- a visible line) so that people will indeed have to stand behind the "line" Think about lines in banks where people HAVE to have literal stands-and-ropes to guide them and keep them in place! LOL! And some folks still disregard the line of people and walk straight up and bother the teller!

Also -- perhaps have a visible basic large calendar (by month) on the desk or held up on a stand to that the patient can "see" the date and the days around it?

Just a thought or two really!

Jan

A sign is in order.

With my recent visits to the hospital I found it very uncomfortable to be standing in the waiting room for the MRI dept and have the staff loudly discuss what I was there for. I was the only one there without obvious ortho issue so it was fairly uncomfortable for me to have all my business out there.

When I had the nuclear stuff put in my chest it is like an ER where the areas are only divided by curtains. There was a man in next space that was hacking horribly, they were mentioning his needing a mask- yikes! The poor guy had to listen to my docs talking about the needles going into my boob and my yelping in pain while doc kept saying he was sorry. Then the poor guys doc kept pulling his curtain open too far and about 5 times the curtain between us pulled open a bit and my doc had to run over and tell the other doc to please pay attention and not pull open the curtain to expose me laying on the table topless. I really think they should have better privacy and gosh only knows why that man was hacking. I washed my hands several times while there.

Privacy is a funny thing. Even when I have to call about things now it seems like I have to mention my illness when it really has nothing to do with why I am calling the person about. We would like our dd to remain with her teammates this upcoming season but there may be some parents on the team she should really be on that might object. (she is 12 but can play up with 14yrs because of her experience but some 12 yr parents still get mad about that). Luckily one of our moms is on the board and has assured me if there is any flack she will tell them there are private issues which the board has considered to allow her to be on the older team. But you know there will be some nosey person who just cannot leave it alone. Hopefully there will not.

Again, I suggest a sign and if someone makes a move simply point to the sign and kindly remind them you need to protect other patient's privacy. If said politely I think they will get the hint. But you have to act fast, kinda stealth with some of these characters. Good luck.

I also think medical staff--or at least the people who design medical offices--need to be more aware of patient privacy. I went for a routine blood test today at my medical group's building. There's a huge waiting room surrounded by entrances to the doctors' offices and the lab reception desk. The seats in the waiting area next to the lab reception desk aren't more than 15 feet away, so as I read my magazine, I could hear what procedure every person checking in was there for. There was a sign stating, "Stand Back Until Person at Desk is Finished", which doesn't help much when the entire waiting room is close enough to hear some poor guy getting detailed instructions on how to take stool samples.

Isn't there a smarter way to design these reception and waiting areas for more privacy?

As mentioned, HIPAA in part is about protecting the patient's INFORMATION, not their name. You are sitting in a public waiting area - it is not a HIPAA violation for someone to hear your name or see it on a sign in sheet. Many offices don't have sign-in sheets any more, and more are going to the electronic sign in of some kind as all medical records move towards being maintained electronically.

But most are still calling the patient's name when it is their turn to be seen - how else would that be done? In our office, the medical assistants call the first name, but verify the last name with the patient if it is someone they don't recognize, or should two people respond to the first name that is called.

Our receptionists/schedulers sit behind tall counters, with their computer screens facing away from the counter. But really, there is nothing on the screen that shows diagnoses, medical information, or billing information.

From what I am reading on the internet, I will meet lots of neat patients and staff while going through chemo. I saw a pic of the unit and it bugs me. The chairs are right next to each other with curtains around them. I know we will be seeing the same folks for several months but I just don't feel like I will want to socialize and chat about our illnesses. Maybe I will feel different once there. It is kinda like my sister who's husband died. I hate saying she is a widow because she hates to. She tried a support group but found they were all old women, she was 38 with kids. I am 43 with a 12 & 9 yr old. I wish I was old, married 35 years and dealing with this. I am very outgoing so I have to leave this all up to whatever happens but I still am very private and want to be able to cry and have my husband hold me without the whole unit watching me.

Privacy is so hard to get and maintain. I am waiting for my neighbors to ask why I am home now. I have been telling some people I don't know well that I am out on medical leave for a while. It is amazing how some folks will still ask "what for?".

Shannon, I hope you feel comfortable while you're undergoing treatment. You would think a treatment center would be uber-sensitive to the privacy needs of their patients, but I'm sure space is an issue as well. At any rate, I hope it's as positive an experience as possible for you.

As for those probably well-meaning people who unfortunately lack a sensitivity chip, I'd really have no problem with telling them, "It's a personal matter" when they press for details. I think I'm maybe a bit late in learning this truth, but only recently have I reached a strong awareness that I really don't owe most people an answer or an explanation.

((((Hugs))))

I wish you well in your treatments Shannon --

But do please try to keep an open mind about sharing your fears and trials with others who are in the same boat. Yes, you would sacrifice some privacy, but what you get in return -- true understanding, support, and often, humor -- may turn out to be far more valuable to you. I've always heard (and found it true for myself) that pain shared is pain divided.

Of course, the choice should be yours, and a simple "I'm a very private person" should suffice.

On the office software where I work, the screen can be set so that it shows patient appointments by initials only, and the open blocks can be seen. This is because each treatment area is linked into the software and the patient's chart is also pulled up on a screen (in many operatories one screen is right in front of the patient--this is useful for consultation purposes) --the patient can be scheduled directly, can visualize a screen if necessary.

In terms of seeing someone's name on a sign in sheet, you could just as likely see the person in the waiting room or coming in and out of the office. Short of separate waiting rooms, masks, and a code number, I am not sure how finding out that someone is a patient, in general terms, is avoidable. This is a particular issue in one facility in which I work where the patients are divided into two large groups: HIV+ , and pts with complex (mostly cardiovascular) medical histories--with smaller group who are seen because of unusual pathological conditions. And the HIV status or cardiovascular status does not have to do directly with treatment.

So, this is a diverse population of people, there for a common reason but coming from different channels, medically. And they are all sitting in the same waiting room. And you can't assume which category brings the patient to the clinic. I treated a 65ish black female (sounds cardiovascular, right?) who was HIV+ from a blood transfusion about 27 years ago...and I have treated a 30 y.o. gay white male (pretty "stereotypical" whatever that means too...sounds HIV+ right?) ...nope, brittle juvenile diabetic.

So privacy (if anyone actually thinks it exists anymore --I don't) is a complex thing, and HIPPA, as far as I am concerned tended to clarify for ME, anyway, exactly how many hundreds of people have access to my information.