[Med-privacy] More on the Texas AG from a Texan (and an Op-Ed)
DPeelMD@aol.com
DPeelMD@aol.com
Mon, 1 Mar 2004 22:01:49 EST
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The Texas AG stacked the state's HIPAA Preemption Task Force with attorneys
for the very industries that lobbied so hard in Texas and at the federal level
to remove every American's right of consent, so that sensitive patient
information can flow freely to all those who would use it, totally unimpeded by the
wishes of the patient.
Texas could well become the first state in the US to eliminate its own
stronger state medical privacy laws and destroy the 2,400 year-old Hippocratic
ethical principle that physicians are required to guard patient information.
Deborah Peel, MD
President, www.patientprivacyrights.org
Dr. Deborah C. Peel
Patients hold ultimate right to decide privacy issue
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Friday, February 20, 2004
If President Bush can block access to his military medical records, why can't
the rest of us can't block access to our civilian hospital and emergency room
records?
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott blew it when he ruled that the state's
public information law trumps Texans' longstanding rights to consent to the
release of their personal health information.
Texas laws built on 2,000 years of medical ethics require that patients
decide what is revealed about their medical care and to whom, not government
officials. So why is Texas' top lawyer making that call for all of us?
Why did he give the media the right to report on the medical condition of
patients who have been injured or celebrities who land in the hospital without
asking those people's permission? Could he really believe that media rights
override patient rights?
Somehow, our attorney general came to the bizarre conclusion that Texas'
freedom of information laws are stronger than Texas' medical privacy laws. But
state and federal courts, and even the U.S. Supreme Court, have always provided
the strongest privacy protections of all for sensitive medical records.
How did we get to this strange place?
This whole mess started when gross misinterpretations of the federal medical
privacy rules known as the Health Information Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA) created confusion about how to protect patient privacy.
By enacting the first national medical privacy law, the government gave every
American the right to medical privacy. The government expected patients to
have more control over their medical records as a result of HIPAA, not less. In
fact, HIPAA states that more stringent privacy protective state laws and
medical ethics should prevail over weaker standards in HIPAA. HIPAA was to be a
floor for medical privacy.
Hospital attorneys wrongly translated the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule into
restrictive and bad hospital policies nobody wants. Stories of how heavy-handed
the government was in dealing with fraud and abuse -- assessing such huge
advance penalties that the alleged criminals were often forced to settle rather
than risk litigation -- made hospital attorneys prone to "just say no" to
requests for information from the press out of fear of violating HIPAA.
The media, long used to being able to report details about car wrecks and
shooting or crime victims, found that hospitals would no longer tell them much of
anything. So they appealed to Abbott for access to our medical information.
And he gave it to them.
Abbott, the people's lawyer, should have insisted that patients be asked what
they want, as required by Texas law and medical ethics. He should have
insisted that hospitals and the media ask patients permission to release
information. Most of us would be happy to give it.
The "right to be let alone" by the state and to choose who knows our most
personal information is really the right to liberty and the foundation of all
human and civil rights.
In the words of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, "the right to be
let alone -- (is)the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by
civilized men." Brandeis saw the framers of the U.S. Constitution as
protecting the privacy and sensibilities of the single person against the state, as a
part of "the more general right to the immunity of the person --the right to
one's personality."
We need privacy to be free. We desire to be known only to those we choose for
ourselves.
The Texas attorney general should guarantee that we are let alone by making
sure we are asked if we want privacy when we are sick or injured.
Peel is an Austin psychoanalyst. She is president of the Appeal for Patient
Privacy (www.patientprivacyrights.org).
Find this article at:
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/friday/editorial
_0453eb0be148d1cc0089.html
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<DIV>The Texas AG stacked the state's HIPAA Preemption Task Force with=20=
attorneys for the very industries that lobbied so hard in Texas and at the f=
ederal level to remove every American's right of consent, so=20=
that sensitive patient information can flow freely to all those who wou=
ld use it, totally unimpeded by the wishes of the patient. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Texas could well become the first state in the US to eliminate its own=20=
stronger state medical privacy laws and destroy the 2,400 year-old Hippocrat=
ic ethical principle that physicians are required to gua=
rd patient information.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Deborah Peel, MD</DIV>
<DIV>President, <A href=3D"http://www.patientprivacyrights.org">www.patientp=
rivacyrights.org</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
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<H2 style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in auto"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dr. De=
borah C. Peel<o:p></o:p></SPAN></H2>
<H3 style=3D"MARGIN: auto 0in"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">Patients hold=20=
ultimate right to decide privacy issue</FONT></H3>
<H3 style=3D"MARGIN: auto 0in"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>SPECI=
AL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN</FONT></H3>
<P class=3Dnpodate style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><st1:date Month=3D"2" Day=
=3D"20" Year=3D"2004"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>Friday, Februa=
ry 20, 2004</FONT></st1:date></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>If President Bush can block acces=
s to his military medical records, why can't the rest of us can't block acce=
ss to our civilian hospital and emergency room records?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot=
t blew it when he ruled that the state's public information law trumps Texan=
s' longstanding rights to consent to the release of their personal health in=
formation.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3D2><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"><st1:State><st1:place>Texas=
</st1:place></st1:State> laws built on 2,000 years of medical ethics require=
that patients decide what is revealed about their medical care and to whom,=
not government officials. So why is <st1:State><st1:place>Texas</st1:place>=
</st1:State>' top lawyer making that call for all of us?</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>Why did he give the media the rig=
ht to report on the medical condition of patients who have been injured or c=
elebrities who land in the hospital without asking those people's permission=
? Could he really believe that media rights override patient rights?</FONT><=
/P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>Somehow, our attorney general cam=
e to the bizarre conclusion that <st1:State><st1:place>Texas</st1:place></st=
1:State>' freedom of information laws are stronger than <st1:State><st1:plac=
e>Texas</st1:place></st1:State>' medical privacy laws. But state and federal=
courts, and even the U.S. Supreme Court, have always provided the strongest=
privacy protections of all for sensitive medical records.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>How did we get to this strange pl=
ace?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>This whole mess started when gros=
s misinterpretations of the federal medical privacy rules known as the Healt=
h Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) created confusion a=
bout how to protect patient privacy.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>By enacting the first national me=
dical privacy law, the government gave every American the right to medical p=
rivacy. The government expected patients to have more control over their med=
ical records as a result of HIPAA, not less. In fact, HIPAA states that more=
stringent privacy protective state laws and medical ethics should prevail o=
ver weaker standards in HIPAA. HIPAA was to be a floor for medical privacy.<=
/FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>Hospital attorneys wrongly transl=
ated the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule into restrictive and bad hospital polici=
es nobody wants. Stories of how heavy-handed the government was in dealing w=
ith fraud and abuse -- assessing such huge advance penalties that the allege=
d criminals were often forced to settle rather than risk litigation -- made=20=
hospital attorneys prone to "just say no" to requests for information from t=
he press out of fear of violating HIPAA.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>The media, long used to being abl=
e to report details about car wrecks and shooting or crime victims, found th=
at hospitals would no longer tell them much of anything. So they appealed to=
Abbott for access to our medical information. And he gave it to them.</FONT=
></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>Abbott, the people's lawyer, shou=
ld have insisted that patients be asked what they want, as required by <st1:=
State><st1:place>Texas</st1:place></st1:State> law and medical ethics. He sh=
ould have insisted that hospitals and the media ask patients permission to r=
elease information. Most of us would be happy to give it.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>The "right to be let alone" by th=
e state and to choose who knows our most personal information is really the=20=
right to liberty and the foundation of all human and civil rights.</FONT></P=
>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>In the words of U.S. Supreme Cour=
t Justice Louis Brandeis, "the right to be let alone -- (is)the most compreh=
ensive of rights, and the right most valued by civilized men." Brandeis saw=20=
the framers of the U.S. Constitution as protecting the privacy and sensibili=
ties of the single person against the state, as a part of "the more general=20=
right to the immunity of the person --the right to one's personality."</FONT=
></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>We need privacy to be free. We de=
sire to be known only to those we choose for ourselves.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>The <st1:State><st1:place>Texas</=
st1:place></st1:State> attorney general should guarantee that we are let alo=
ne by making sure we are asked if we want privacy when we are sick or injure=
d.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2>Peel is an <st1:City><st1:place>A=
ustin</st1:place></st1:City> psychoanalyst. She is president of the Appeal f=
or Patient Privacy (www.patientprivacyrights.org).</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBO=
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