Eugene Said:

Can a doctor tell the receptionist personal medical information?

We Answered:

GP receptionists will have access to your all your medical records, letters, test results etc. That is their job, that is how a GP surgery functions. Doctors just see the patient and issue the prescription and do the referral etc, the receptionists and secretaries do all the day to day work of typing, filing letters and appointment making so they know exactly what is wrong with you.

You don't have to tell the receptionist what is wrong with you when you ring up, she has no right to refuse you an appointment and you should make a complaint in writing to the Practice Manager of the surgery if this was the case.

However please bear in mind that the doctor possibly told the receptionist to ask "what is the matter" on the telephone to "filter out" non urgent cases. I worked in a GP surgery for 15 years, part of my job was on reception and the doctor would order the receptionists to ask if it was urgent or not, especially when there were no appointments left for the day. We asked it because we were told to ask not because we are interested at all.

As regards the telephone call maybe she passed the call internally to the GPs consultation room? That is usual practice so she wouldn't necessarily be there listening as such. However where I worked GPs would also take and make phone calls to patients with secretaries, receptionists and other staff in the room, physios, nurses, health visitors.

Try not to worry all your information will be kept private within the surgery, I can't imagine any one is really interested in your medical problems. We had 12, 000 patients and I wasn't the vaguest bit interested in who was pregnant, who had an abortion, who was coming for counselling etc I was too busy doing my job.

Terry Said:

What do I do if my doctor gave medical information of mine to a relative who is also a patient of hers?

We Answered:

That sounds like a HIPAA violation to me. according to the AMA something like that could be a fine of anywhere from 1k to 50k dollars.
The Dept of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights is who is in charge of HIPAA violations so that is who you would call.

Greg Said:

How can I be a medical Doctor if I am taking up Information Technology, but I have subjects like chemistry?

We Answered:

You need to make an appointment with the guidance counselor at the school your are attending. The Medical field is diverse and you need to explore where in the branch of medicine where you would like to be. Your questions will be answered.

Sherri Said:

I would like some information on the medical Doctor named Gary Mcdugal?

We Answered:

gmc

Clara Said:

How ethical is it if your doctor is sharing all of your medical information with his wife?

We Answered:

This is a violation of the HIPPA laws. Every person that sees your health information must be HIPPA trained. If they tell non medical personnel, or medical personnel that don't have legitimate reasons to know about your health, anything they see in the file the dr and that person can be sued for HIPPA violations.

Emma Said:

Can you sue a doctor for giving you false medical information;failing to mention cancer causing cells?

We Answered:

If you want to pay an attorney and the attorney can convince a jury that the doctor was negligent and that the doc's negligence caused you harm, then you have a potential lawsuit on your hands.

Some things to consider: How do you know that the present doctor is correct and the previous was wrong; and how do you know that your condition has not worsened since the visit to the previous doctor? If you don't have solid answers to these questions, its unlikely you would win a suit against your former doctor.