Are you worried about this because you're trying to keep your husband's medical condition private from the rest of the town? Small towns are difficult; boundaries can be blurry, professionalism may have a different standard when friends are involved. The problem you have, that you recognize, is that you are likely to not be able to do a thing if the word gets out, even if you know the source. You COULD do something legally if you could prove someone violated HIPAA, but with only one pharmacy in town, your options are pretty difficult. With everyone being friends of the pharmacist and using the pharmacy, they won't look kindly on any action taken against them, even if the pharmacy is in the wrong. You will end up looking like the bad guy to most everyone.

Will your insurance pay for mail order meds from another pharmacy?

We used to frequent a small, family owned pharmacy and it wasn't unusual for their teenage children to help out at the register. Technnically they weren't employees either but they were old enought to have a job - I don't see anything wrong with it.

Well if you're sure he's not "working" there (as a paid or unpaid employee) then I imagine he won't be hanging out behind the pharmacy counter on a regular basis. I don't think there's much you can do about it either way other than discussing your concerns with the owner(s).

Carol, I'm thinking he was pitch hitting too. It still doesn't change the fact he can glance at our presecriptions. It's easy to see what meds are being given without snooping.

I'm surprised I'm the only one here who wants to keep my medical history private. The friend doesn't have to abide by HIPAA, so who's to say he won't tell his wife? He's human & isn't obliged to keep his trap shut.

I have no problem with our pharmacists knowing what meds we take, they are preached about HIPAA while in school and know the consequences. She's a professional.

This is a prime example of why I don't want an outsider knowing what meds anyone in my family take;

SEA SEA wrote (I'm not angry sea sea, it's a normal reaction) "The only time we had an ah-ha moment was when I found out through the course of a work day, that our crazy (not in a ha-ha way) neighbor really is...well, you know."

DS2 has bipolar disorder which we don't broadcast except to those who need to know. He no longer uses that pharmacy but what if he was the one picking up his meds? I would have been livid. He would have been freaked because he was part of the two families weekend gatherings & also knows them.

If this were a large city I'd have never known the guy shouldn't have been there. But this is a small town, aka Peyton Place. People talk, (not professionals) and to say he won't is having your head in the sand.

PLUS, there are a lot of controlled substances there which would make me think no one should be allowed behind the counter unless they're certified.

To me it's wrong on all kinds of levels. Patients should have privacy.

This is a pretty good read. He shouldn't have been there, it's such a casual place.

HIPAA Compliance for Pharmacies I'm not going to say or do anything unless it happens again and then I will directly ask the pharmacist what can be seen by their guest. :)

You are right Oakley, patients should have privacy and there should be no discussion as your friend who was assisting in the pharmacy is held to privacy laws just like every other person on staff. But, a person not on staff should not be in an area where there can see patient information.

Just for clarification, our family has been put in repeated peril by the neighbor since the early 1990s. It helped us a great deal to learn what I did while at work. The only reason I shared with my family is because we have been her victims for many many years. We have a vested interest to understand more in that regard simply because of what we have been on the receiving end of with her. Nothing made sense, until...

I was trying to keep things light here without sharing much detail. I'm sorry that I hurt you.

I understand your discomfort with the pharmacy and would like you to encourage you to think about a mail order pharmacy for medications that can be processed in that manner when you have the opportunity. There is a sense of built-in privacy using one.

What would the reason for a complaint be? Because the customer knew the person who checked out the purchase?

Oak, is this pharmacy actually a store? A place that sells things other then prescribed meds? If your DH hadn’t recognized the guy at the counter would you be as concerned?

I think it's a little sad to go straight to the level of a complaint to the federal government. It sounds like the pharmacy is a small, family-owned business of people you know.... wouldn't it be better to start by speaking to them about your concerns and then see where that leads? You ARE friends with them, right?

I wonder, too, what an anonymous complaint could do? Unless you i.d. the person who was behind the counter, or at least the date and time it occurred, the pharmacy may have no idea exactly what or who the complaint is referencing. Or maybe it's a common occurrence to have friends stop by and hang out; if so a complaint would put them on notice that they have to change their ways?

If you have to i.d. the friend, the date and time of the incident, won't they easily (if they remember the day, or check to see who was there getting prescriptions that day) know it was you who complained?

I think a friendly conversation, in private with the pharmacist, might be a better way to go. You can express your concerns and if things don't change, then file a complaint if you want.

Check into mail order and if it's available, you can stop worrying. It's usually a lot less expensive, so I can't imagine insurance companies not covering it.

Seems like a no brainer to immediately switch to using a mail order pharmacy. It's easy to do; DH gets most of his prescriptions that way, and has never had an issue.

SEA SEA Calling your neighbor (who I am assuming is mentally ill) “crazy” especially when you are a medical professional is unhelpful. One of my children has schizophrenia and threatened his dad and I repeatedly while he was unmedicated. He suffers from a terrible brain disorder, and I do not appreciate it when he or anyone else with a mental illness is labeled with stigmatizing names.

Thank you for your input texanjana. My mother suffered from schizophrenia and bi-polar. I sympathize with you. I do consider myself rather well versed on the topic though. Having lived through that while growing up until her death due to medical mismanagement and the neighbor, I feel ok with my comment. I've been on the receiving end of other's not properly treated mental illness for most of my life, so I think I'm allowed in this instance to try and help a fellow poster. My sincere apologies that your family is afflicted as well. I'll be taking my leave now.

I suspect HHS would not take any action if you report your friends for a HIPAA violation. In my experience they don’t follow up on small one off events. If you are uncomfortable with your local pharmacy then it seems like the anonymity of mail order would be a good solution for you.

The price of living in a smaller community. To assume anyone behind a counter won't keep your personal business "in house" is far from truth. ANYONE can be hired to pass out prescriptions. Our local grocery store pharmacy has an array of teens always shuffling through. Perhaps you are unaware with all the *19 relief good workers are hard to find. Employers take what they can get.

FTR, I am NOT going to make a complaint, I was just wondering & complaing is all.

No, it's not a store, it's a small pharmacy is all. Everything they sell is behind the counter.

And they will deliver meds to me if I'm too sick. Good people.

Maddie, let's not do hypothetical and make this simple topic so complicated. I've never seen a stranger behind the counter.

Arcy, no teens or anyone without a license has worked at this pharmacy since we started going there in the 1800's. :)

Sea, you didn't hurt my feelings, and it did explain your neighbors behavior. I don't want to do mail in prescriptions, although DH sometimes does it. I want to continue giving our pharmacy our business because of being in a rural area, plus I don't trust meds will arrive on time.

When DS has stopped his meds or smoked pot which makes things worse, I've been known to say under my breath "he's bat**** crazy." It's part of my mini-rants to myself. Right now he's on a philosophical trip. Oy. One thing I've learned is those with mental illness are extremely intelligent which my son is. So was Einstein.

But I digress. I was just wondering if pharmacies can have visitors/family behind the counter where open computer screens are, lists are made, names and meds are written down, and & scheduled drugs are there for the taking?

Forgot, in large pharmacies I've only seen the pharmacists and techs behind the counter where all meds are kept while others are in the area that sells other products. I've never seen anyone other than a pharmacist in the top secret area. :)

texanjana I don't think it was necessary to call out the Sea Sea after she had already apologized to the OP . I have family members with mental problem, too, and I wasn't the least bit offended by her remarks.

Oakley,

Your pharmacy situation never occurred to me, but I think it is a real conundrum. I, too, would want my medical information private. And if I relied on a local pharmacy staffed by acquaintances,I would simply feel that privacy is not possible; HIPAA or no. Even if the staff does not share your info, they cannot unsee it and if you know the staff, well then... no privacy. I would switch up or use mail services. Sorry they seem to be a bit cavalier about this sensitive issue.

And now, a bit off topic ...

As far as comments about terms like "crazy," I can totally empathize with SeaSea's use of the term. I also applaud Texanjana for sharing her view in order to raise awareness.

It was one of my kids who recently pointed out to me that I may want to rethink my blithe use of a word like "crazy," and it caught me unaware. I empathize because I have certainly used terms that, in hindsight, embarrass me. I long ago stopped using "retarded" to be derisive rather than descriptive, but many people of our generation are so accustomed to it. My first husband had an older brother who was retarded and that was so heart-breaking that I never used the word casually after that. I will embarrass myself further and say that, growing up, the term "Jew someone down" was often used to mean negotiate or haggle; I was an adult before I realized that was awfully insulting (and, on a variant of the old joke, I might add that my *very* best and dearest friend to this day, from 7th grade, is Jewish.)

Language evolves and language matters. I know some people who think all of this is about being "PC" (insert eye roll) and that our word choice in no way means that we are not sensitive to people who are mentally ill, intellectually challenged, or a minority race or religion. And that is very often true! I don't think anyone questions that, in this example,the poster has empathy for the mentally ill.

But I think of it this way. If I had an issue or a problem or a loved one did, could reading or hearing a certain term used a certain way hurt my feelings? If it could, maybe it is better to try to avoid casual use or misappropriation of these terms. I think, sometimes, these daily, common, "micro-slights" by well-meaning folks can do as much to harm a group as blatant, intentional slurs that are far less frequent.

I just wanted to say that I see both sides, and that it is an area where I have and do struggle.

FYI on the subject

https://www.npr.org/2019/07/08/739643765/why-people-are-arguing-to-stop-using-the-words-crazy-and-insane

I have long, long hated the "R" word. I do not have any relatives that are mentally handicapped, not even anyone I know that I can think of off hand, other than a young man at our local grocery store. So it's not like it is something that would hurt my feelings, relate to someone I know, etc. I just HATE. THAT. WORD. Some words are just so hateful sounding. We need to think more about what we say.

I read this thread yesterday and thought it a bit odd. Oakley does your DH as a lawyer in your town perhaps not represent people that could be embarrassed about your DH knowing info about them?

Mentally handicapped is someone whose brain hasn't fully developed. Those with a mental illness have fully developed brains, with a little extra added on. :)

RN, I'm not sure I understand your question. If someone hires my husband, then no, they won't be embarrassed, why should they? It's confidential. If they were they'd hire someone else.

What I wish with all my heart is for people to stop keeping (severe) mental illness a secret, whether it be themselves or family members. Because you'd be surprised at how many people you probably know who are keeping mental illness on the downlow.

Imagine all the help we could get for those with a mental illness and you wouldn't have to be wealthy to treat it properly. Which is why there are so many homeless people out there. Homelessness will never get better until we take care of those with a mental illness which leads to addiction/alcoholism which leads to homelessness.

If I were President.... Raise you hand if you remember Olive Oyl singing that song during a Popeye cartoon!

Mentally handicapped is someone whose brain hasn't fully developed. Those with a mental illness have fully developed brains, with a little extra added on. :)

Not sure why you posted this; i wasn't comparing the two, I was talking about the evolution of language.

RNMom's analogy is apt. But my answer is the same. Professionals must maintain confidentiality and usually do. But if the professional is also someone you know, even if they do not tell another soul, they know ... and they cannot unsee and unhear when you are with them socially, so true privacy is not possible. If it is a delicate matter and you want privacy, go elsewhere.

Mtn, I wasn't talking to you. We were talking about mental illness, not mentally handicapped. You can look at someone and know they're mentally handicapped, but you can't tell if someone has a mental illness or not unless you get a peek at their file.

You all must think I live in a one horse town. Not so.

RN's analogy was trying to find something to nitpick and disagree with that doesn't have a thing to do with my topic.

With pharmacies & attorneys & doctors, we choose them, we don't choose their father in laws. If someone comes by the house to chat with DH, should I sit there and listen? No. That's the same thing as having a family member hang out at a pharmacy.

Let's drop the topic, all this unrelated hypothetical bs is driving me......bonkers. ;) Not in the mood.

From now on I'll only do fluff topics. Like what throw pillows to buy. How exciting! All said in jest.

You can look at someone and know they're mentally handicapped, but you can't tell if someone has a mental illness or not unless you get a peek at their file.

With this I disagree.

I guess I don't really see the issue. Where I live, the people behind the counter are the pharmacist or the pharmacy assistant, but they hand over your medication to you and you take it and the prescription to the cashier out front and he or she rings it up on the till. The cashier isn't licenced for anything, but still gets to see what drugs you're getting. Is that not the case in US pharmacies, or at least the larger ones?

This is an interesting conversation, I must say.

It does seem like a distinction without a difference tho - or is that supposed to be the other way round?

As was mentioned above, if you had not known that the man ringing you up was a member of the family, if you'd never laid eyes on him before, how could you then presume to know he wasn't trained to follow protocols? And are you absolutely certain he was not?

And also there are certainly cases where licensed and/or trained professionals have violated their duties. Remember that pharmacist who deliberately destroyed vaccines not that long ago? Or the TSA folks who were caught ogling and mocking people's body scans?

I agree the suggestions to switch to ordering medications remotely would likely be the solution to this issue.

Oakley has a good point but if it was truly someone just helping out for the day this person would probably not know the medications purpose. Like I stated above the pharmacy tech was announcing to the whole back of the store the names of the prescription she was sending through the drive through window. Unless I went home and looked it up I wouldn’t know much about it. Maybe switching to a Walgreens or cvs would be helpful. Even though it is a family friend sometimes mixing business and pleasure is not always comfortable.

Well, as a licensed professional who has to follow HIPAA guidelines, I totally understand Oakley's concerns.

But I absolutely don't agree that those with mental illness "have a little extra". People with mental illness are people, and there is a wide range of intelligence in all people. Lumping those who have a mental illness into some sort of special group is demeaning and derogatory, even if meant to be otherwise. Also, "Mentally handicapped" is considered an offensive term, not PC. (Edited to correct spelling)

@Indigo Rose I sincerely apologize! I did not realize that was not PC and certainly did not mean to be offensive!! I was responding to Mt. and was probably the one who first used that term, so I do apologize. What term is PC?

Oh, no, Tina, no apology necessary! Intellectual disability would be one. It can be hard to keep up!

"Mentally handicapped is someone whose brain hasn't fully developed."

Not necessarily. There are plenty of people with fully developed brains, who suffered brain damage, either through the birth process or a million and one other reasons later on (severe head injuries...) and now are considered intellectually challenged--(which, by the way, is the preferred term.)

I should know. I have a brother who is in this category.

Another PC correct term is, "Differently abled." This is used often in government educational settings.

I have always said "mentally challenged" and will continue to do so. "Differently abled"??? That sounds horrible to me and utterly ridiculous! Also, "Intellectual Disability" isn't much better. And, and as far as saying crazy or insane-I say from time to time and I refuse to be cornered by people saying I can't say that anymore. Some people need a backbone. That's crazy!

I had my first appointment at a large orthopedic/sports medicine practice to have a knee injury checked out. This practice is part of a major medical center in the city. I was asked to check in 20 minutes early to complete paperwork. When I got there a line was forming at the reception desk. I was wondering what was taking so long to check the first patient in. To my shock, the receptionist was completing the patient's medical history orally! Within complete earshot of everyone in the waiting area. Medication history, psychiatric history, where injury occurred, if lawyer was involved, etc! The patient was a younger man and did look uncomfortable answering some of these questions. The receptionist dug into many of responses seeking out more details in a way I have never seen! The line grew and grew. I decided that I was going to insist on filling out my own paperwork, but by the time I approached the desk she was a bit overwhelmed and just handed it to me to complete. I am going to give feedback to the practice doctor. I have never experienced such a lack of patient confidentiality in an office.

Haha - I know a number of people I could classify as 'mentally challenged' with no medical diagnosis at all.

FWIW, there is cognitive impairment, developmental disabilities and quite a number of more specific terms. I was trained to say 'a person with a disability', focussing on the person not the disability. It's not necessary to be specific when one is not a medical professional.

Same here, carol haha!

RE HIPAA: based upon umpteen years of having to go through yearly HIPAA review:

It is a violation for health care providers to leave protected health information within view or access to anyone who doesn't have a medical or business (like for payment processing) reason to see it. That includes unattended computer screens, paperwork, labeled bottles.

I suppose the question is, was the man there officially acting as an employee, even if temporarily, say to fill in for a sick employee? If so, he should have been informed of his duty toward privacy, and the pharmacy would be liable if he violates that. If not, he should not have access to the information.

If he was just behind the counter but could not see any of the protected info, no violation has occurred.

Scheduled drugs should be secured at ALL times with limited access.

If you can approach the owner with your concern about whether he might share you information even if thoughtlessly, without it turning into a case of the owner/family being offended and defensive, do so. Otherwise, you might indeed feel it necessary to find another source for your meds.

teeda, wow ! I've never had that happen to me ! I've always filled out my own medical information forms. If additional questioning was needed it was done in a private examining room. Well, somewhat private room. When you can hear someone in the next room talking, it's not so private. I believe I would have told that receptionist that I would fill out my own form, and that I prefer to keep my medical information private and not heard by everyone in the room.

Okay, just to update the misinformation: You absolutely cannot (REPEAT: CANNOT) tell someone is intellectually disabled by just looking at them (the other terms are long out of use, even mentally handicapped). I suspect you are thinking of someone with Down Syndrome, but even that is not always obvious. Thank you. Now back to your regularly scheduled discussion.

As with other things, there are varying degrees of disability. Some folks are very high functioning, while others are not.

And then there are people with conditions like cerebral palsy, who may have zero cognitive impairment.

Oakley, I did not mean to derail your post. Thank you SEA SEA for your response and perspective.

Like Mtn, I blithely used to use those same terms. Once I became an adult, I came to realize that those terms were offensive and I stopped using them. I’m not saying I have never called anyone crazy. I certainly have. However, having a mentally ill family member has made me think of the myriad ways that we stigmatize mental illness, and in my opinion our words and labels can do that.

Raee, A shout out for spelling it HIPAA! : )

refuse to be cornered by people saying I can't say that anymore.

We agree. No one should corner people and tell them they can't.

I posted because personally, I like to know when I might be unintentionally hurtful or insensitive or even just gauche. : )

“I posted because personally, I like to know when I might be unintentionally hurtful or insensitive or even just gauche. : )”

And thank heavens most of us continue to learn and are not afraid to change.

I would never rely on mail-order for my heart and blood pressure medicatiions. Our rural mail delivery has been so slow since last year's elections I can't trust it for anything,

Maddie, I feel the same way about continue to learn and not afraid of change, and I am happy to do so, as long as it really is better. Just because a group of a particular-type of people think it is better, doesn't mean we all should follow. I always question first, WHO is this group of people and WHY? Sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't.

I think in this instance I would ask myself how much it would hurt/cost me to say mentally challenged (or whatever the current suggested term is for the person in question) instead of crazy, retarded or some other derogatory term and how much it might mean to the person being labeled. Think of the golden rule and mentally put yourself in the other's position.

WHO is this group of people and WHY?

A friend, and because it is important to her and others, and moreover it is no imposition on me.

"I always question first, WHO is this group of people and WHY? Sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't."

If you're not part of the group, then what does it matter to you to be considerate of the group's wishes?

A family friend has a late 20-something child who identifies as non-binary. The mom and I were together a few years ago, catching up on our kids, lives, etc. I learned that her child prefers "they/them/their" which went against my natural inclination to refer to her child by the pronoun that was assigned at birth. Both parents are super supportive and use the preferred pronouns whenever they talk about their child. I did too, although I messed up a few times or more than once just took the awkward escape of overusing the given name in sentences. Yes, iIt is difficult to change our own deeply ingrained habits, but its not that difficult to try.

We also have friends with a child who identifies as non-binary, and in addition to changing pronouns they changed their name to something entirely new. My goodness, I can only imagine the turmoil and courage for all involved. I agree with you Jojoco, it's the very least we can do to show support and acceptance of our fellow humans. And it costs us nothing.

PS Oakley, btw sorry for the continued OT tangent, but I think most of us did also reply to you, so hope you don't feel we ignore your concerns! : )

So true, Mtn!

Oakley, sorry to go O/T, but look at my salvia! I wish I could send one up to you! I hope you and DH had a good weekend. ❤️