Never.
Is this a private Medical practice, or a publicly funded treatment center?

I guess it is a private medical practice.

Sue

Frankly, I can't understand why a mother would allow a stranger to take pictures of her child. She didn't ask?

My usual 'insurance paid' doctor does not take pictures, but the 'alternative' doctor (paid for out of pocket) did take a photo of me on my first visit.

My doctor, at a medical center, started taking pictures last year. When I asked "why", I was told that people who don't have medical insurance have started to steal the identity of those who do have insurance. photos are a way to limit this theft.

Plus, I believe that as more and more of medical insurance becomes computerized, pictures are just part of the process.

I have no problem with photos.

Mine just did for the first time about a month ago when I was in for my appt.

Mine does. I have no problem with it.

I have pictures taken at all first appointments with a new doctor. I am fully insured. The photograph is for your protection.

My Doctors office is on the cutting edge of technology here.

The intake nurse explained to me:

During the intake interview they take a photo of every patient and if the patient is a minor they also take a photo of the parent or guardian who has legal permission to approve the minors treatments.

When you go in for a doctors appointment, as soon as you check in they call up your file on the computer and they get the photo to positively identify you as the correct patient.

The nurse or receptionist then confirms your ID and annotates the computer that you are here for an appointment. In the mean time, the computer puts your med file on an Ipad.

When they call you to come in a nurse picks up the ipad and comes to the lobby to call you. She pulls up the photo to confirm the correct ID, then she takes you to a room where they do the vitals and enters the info on the Ipad.

You are then led to a treatment room to await the doctor.

When the doctor comes in, he/she has the Ipad, which they use to 1. confirm ID, 2. Review the vitals & 3. Check your case records to see how your treatment is progressing.

After the doctor completes the treatment a nurse takes the Ipad back to the office, where the info is uploaded to the main computer and the Ipad is erased. At that time the appropriate hard copies are printed for thier hardcopy archive files and all necessary receipts or written followups are printed out to the patient.

Taking this to the next step, I have them email my presciptions to my neighborhood CVS, and the girl at CVS showed me that the email has your photo so the pharmacy can confirm the meds are going to the right person.

I don't know about you guys, but knowing that my doctor sees an average of 45 patients a day, I find it a little bit comforting for her to have a method of insuring the chart she is reading is really my information.

Mine took a picture of me for my records, said it's so they can check to make sure no one is fraudulently using someone else's medical insurance to pay for their doctor appointments.

Yes, all doctors I have seen in the past couple of years have done it and I have no problem with it either.

Yes they do, as mentioned it is to aid in prevention of misidentification.

Yes, for the reasons mentioned and I have no problem with it.

Yes they do. It's really for your protection.
Eileen

I think this is a great idea. When I had my purse stolen in a break-in recently, my health insurance cards were the last thing I thought of but I did remember to call them and they issued me a new id #. With medical care being one of the most expensive services out there, I can only imagine how many people are trying to use someone else's insurance.

Mine doesn't take my picture but they have a current copy of my driver's license on file that has my picture. They say it's for the purpose of preventing fraud.

Shirley

Never heard of this practice, but I've been to doctors who want to see my picture ID drivers license in addition to my insurance cards.

One very large specialty clinic I go to does this. They also print your picture on your wristband. All in the effort to avoid identity mistakes I guess. Medicare/insurance fraud is rampant so I guess it also helps from that perspective - though checking an ID does as well. I think it's also part of the electronic medical record and social media wave - having a picture of the person along with their profile/medical record.

If they do, I didn't know anything about it.

I've had my driver's license copied, but no pictures.

My doctor does not, but does require photo ID along with insurance card at the check in desk in her lobby.

My dentist however added a photo of me to my file years ago...like at least 10 years.

So far, none of our doctors have taken pictures of us, but I can see the reasoning behind it and I think it is a great idea.

i suggested it to my oncologist once, when she said something about not remembering what i/patients looked like before chemo and hair loss, and recovery...

it makes perfect sense to protect yourself. never got so tired of saying last name first, d of b everytime a nurse came in, while in hospital, to handout medications...

a fb pal's company makes bar-coded wrist bands (like you're a jar of soup) that staff can scan, to make sure you're you...

and you better believe that people are using the same tech for pets on children...they're just not telling...

I thought it was a new Hippa regulation? Was told that at any rate. Only one of my drs has done it so far--my eye dr. but I don't have a problem with it. As noted, it's a security measure that protects you from having someone else attempt to use your identity. We once went through a couple of years of dealing with getting bills at our house for someone else who used our address for several hospital visits (different hospitals)--it was a real pain to sort out. DH finally thought he'd found the witch, only to discover that she'd just moved!!! and then we weren't able to track her down again.

Taking it to the next step, in our region they are now installing hand scanners on the computers at the welfare office. When you apply for welfare or foodstamps they scan your hand, which gives them both fingerprints & palmprints.

Not only does that put permament ID on your records, thus reducxing welfare fraud, it is cross matched against the law enforcement NCIC records to see if the applicant has any outstanding warrants.

My husband was a victim of medical identity theft. Some strange woman went to his internist's office for treatment. She had no insurance or money, just said she was the "daughter of Mr. So and So. My dad will pay the bill."They didn't phone us to verify. We got a bill from the doctor for a lot! We called and insisted she was not our child. Doc realized he'd been "taken".

The womens clinic I go to does take pictures. Doesn't bother me.

Haven't heard of it around here.

When my doc suggests it ...

... I'll tell him that I refuse to cover the cost of a replacement camera, should the image of my face break the current one.

Oh, right - he's to retire next year (or, maybe, the year after - when he gave me different years recently on the same visit, I asked him whether he was sure that he knew what he was doing).

Next visit - asked him to give me as good an estimate as he was able ... as I figured that I was going to have to die before then.

When he asked my reason ... I told him that surely he was aware of how hard it is to find a doctor as a new patient, these days!

(Especially if you're old and liable to need a lot of service).

ole joyfuelled

I have pictures taken at all first appointments with a new doctor. I am fully insured. The photograph is for your protection.