Privacy is a farce…just another rant!
Privacy is a huge buzzword right now. Everything is all about “privacy”. We are told to counsel in a hermetically sealed room. We have to filter thru every scrap of trash and sequester everything that has PHI (Protected Health Information). This can include anything that can link a patient name to the pharmacy or to a drug. We even pay some company to deal with our PHI. We do it because we can get some superb fines if we dont, but if you want my humble opinion (and I assume you do because you are reading a blog which is nothing BUT opinion), privacy is a complete bunk. Wanna know why I believe that?
I ordered a pizza.
RING RING “Scarfomungo’s Pizza, How can I help you?”
Pharmacy Chick: “I’d like to order a pizza”
Scarfy’s: “are you calling from 555-1234″ PC: “yes” (Chick figures they have caller ID, she accepts that)
Scarfy’s: ” and is you address 1234 SW Main?” PC: “uh, yes…how do you know that?” You see, Pharmacy chick had never ordered pizza from Scarfomungo’s Pizza before.
Scarfy’s–probably some 16 year old kid: “Well, it shows up on my monitor”.
Ok, Stop right there. I make a call to some pizza joint I have never ordered from, and before I even tell them my order, they have in their posession, my phone number and my address sitting in front of them. Granted, they don’t have my name yet (that I know of), but it wouldn’t take much to take these two precious bits of information and a little look-see at the public record of the city I live in to find out my name.
Which brings me back to the pharmacy: I do not have Caller ID (which I think is a travesty when it comes to phone in prescription orders), and I certainly don’t have the ability to link up a phone number with a street address, but goodness gracious, If a local pizza joint can know, and possibly store my address and phone BEFORE I actually provide it to them , why am I busting my butt over every scrap of PHI?
So if you are a privacy nut reading this and harrumphing because I am crashed your world view on privacy– Next time you order a pizza, Do it from a pay phone.
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