Free STD Tests may Pose Privacy Issues
A lot of STDs testing are reportable. The truth is that regardless of where a patient chooses to go for free STD tests their STDs will actually be reported to the government, practicing doctors, billing insurance, and any other close stakeholder. Unless otherwise noted, here is how these discloses and uses of free STD tests may pose privacy issues on your medical information without your permission.
Treatment
STDs are actually classified as reportable diseases for various reasons. Many infections can only be transmitted through sex. The free STD testing clinics will use health information about you to provide you with health care services and treatment. The information will be disclosed to health students, doctors, technicians, nurses, volunteers or other personnel who are involved in your treatment. These medical officers may work at the hospital, medical office, pharmacy, lab or other healthcare providers to whom free STD testing clinics may refer you for consultation, to perform lab tests, for prescription filling, or any other treatment purposes.
Healthcare Operations
The clinics may disclose and use your healthcare information for operations of their healthcare practices. These disclosures and uses are essential for the clinics' practice and to ensure that all STD patients receive quality care. For instance, the clinic may use your health information to review its services and treatment and to evaluate the performance of the staff taking care of your treatment. The clinic offering free STD testing may also choose to combine your health information to determine the additional services it needs to offer, check services you don't require and whether a new treatment may be effective for you as well as to consider other improvement that can be made for your treatment depending on the nature of your STD. However, in rare circumstance the clinic may remove the information that identifies you from this kind of health information so that other health users may study it without learning who you are.
Payment
The fee STD testing clinics may disclose and use your health information so that the services and treatment you get may be billed to and collected from an insurance company, Medicaid agency, a government agency and any other third party responsible. For instance, the clinic may be required to give your health insurance plan information to insurance company to pay for your treatment or reimburse you for using your own money for treatment. Additionally, the clinic or hospital may give your health information to the state Medicaid agencies so that the clinic can be reimbursed for offering you treatment services. In most cases, the hospital may inform your health plan about the treatment you're expected to receive to get prior approval and determine whether the medical plan covers the treatment.
The Person Involved in Your Care
Unless you tell the health organization in writing that you do not want your medical privacy be disclosed, they may release your health information to a family member or any other person involved in your care. The fee STD tasting clinic may also provide your medical information to someone who helps pay for your medication. In rare cases when it is an outbreak disease, the hospital may choose to disclose you medical information to organization assisting in such disaster relief effort.
Government
Doctors are not usually good at reporting STDs to the government even when they are legally bound to do so. It may be likely that medical practitioners at free STD testing clinics are prone to reporting than doctors in private practice. However, the responsibility to inform the government of these STDs is the same. In short, you should not be troubled to seek medical treatment at free STD tests because you are too concerned to your privacy. If anything, the medical practitioners who work at fee STD testing clinics are always more sensitive to your privacy and social stigma. They handle patients with STDs daily, and it is unlikely that anything you will tell the doctors will surprise or shock them.
Research
Your information may be disclosed for the purpose of research. For instance, a research project may entail the efficiency comparison of one medication over another. In that case, the organization will obtain authorization from you or ask privacy board to waive the requirement to obtain authorization for your information to be used. However, the review board will ensure that the waiver a researcher obtains will adequately enable them to protect your health information.
Lawsuits and Disputes
In case you are involved in a dispute or a lawsuit, the clinic may disclose your health information in response to an order issued by an administrative tribunal or a court. The clinics may also disclose your health information in response to discovery request, subpoena, or any other lawful process, but only after efforts are made to inform you about the request and indeed you had the time to protect the information requested.
Generally, people must accept that free STD tests may pose privacy issues and a system should be put in place for anonymous and confidential disease notification. This will actually reduce the fear of identification should anyone contract STDs. Apart from these discloses and uses, only healthcare practitioners and subsequent attendants are privy to your medical information.
Treatment
STDs are actually classified as reportable diseases for various reasons. Many infections can only be transmitted through sex. The free STD testing clinics will use health information about you to provide you with health care services and treatment. The information will be disclosed to health students, doctors, technicians, nurses, volunteers or other personnel who are involved in your treatment. These medical officers may work at the hospital, medical office, pharmacy, lab or other healthcare providers to whom free STD testing clinics may refer you for consultation, to perform lab tests, for prescription filling, or any other treatment purposes.
Healthcare Operations
The clinics may disclose and use your healthcare information for operations of their healthcare practices. These disclosures and uses are essential for the clinics' practice and to ensure that all STD patients receive quality care. For instance, the clinic may use your health information to review its services and treatment and to evaluate the performance of the staff taking care of your treatment. The clinic offering free STD testing may also choose to combine your health information to determine the additional services it needs to offer, check services you don't require and whether a new treatment may be effective for you as well as to consider other improvement that can be made for your treatment depending on the nature of your STD. However, in rare circumstance the clinic may remove the information that identifies you from this kind of health information so that other health users may study it without learning who you are.
Payment
The fee STD testing clinics may disclose and use your health information so that the services and treatment you get may be billed to and collected from an insurance company, Medicaid agency, a government agency and any other third party responsible. For instance, the clinic may be required to give your health insurance plan information to insurance company to pay for your treatment or reimburse you for using your own money for treatment. Additionally, the clinic or hospital may give your health information to the state Medicaid agencies so that the clinic can be reimbursed for offering you treatment services. In most cases, the hospital may inform your health plan about the treatment you're expected to receive to get prior approval and determine whether the medical plan covers the treatment.
The Person Involved in Your Care
Unless you tell the health organization in writing that you do not want your medical privacy be disclosed, they may release your health information to a family member or any other person involved in your care. The fee STD tasting clinic may also provide your medical information to someone who helps pay for your medication. In rare cases when it is an outbreak disease, the hospital may choose to disclose you medical information to organization assisting in such disaster relief effort.
Government
Doctors are not usually good at reporting STDs to the government even when they are legally bound to do so. It may be likely that medical practitioners at free STD testing clinics are prone to reporting than doctors in private practice. However, the responsibility to inform the government of these STDs is the same. In short, you should not be troubled to seek medical treatment at free STD tests because you are too concerned to your privacy. If anything, the medical practitioners who work at fee STD testing clinics are always more sensitive to your privacy and social stigma. They handle patients with STDs daily, and it is unlikely that anything you will tell the doctors will surprise or shock them.
Research
Your information may be disclosed for the purpose of research. For instance, a research project may entail the efficiency comparison of one medication over another. In that case, the organization will obtain authorization from you or ask privacy board to waive the requirement to obtain authorization for your information to be used. However, the review board will ensure that the waiver a researcher obtains will adequately enable them to protect your health information.
Lawsuits and Disputes
In case you are involved in a dispute or a lawsuit, the clinic may disclose your health information in response to an order issued by an administrative tribunal or a court. The clinics may also disclose your health information in response to discovery request, subpoena, or any other lawful process, but only after efforts are made to inform you about the request and indeed you had the time to protect the information requested.
Generally, people must accept that free STD tests may pose privacy issues and a system should be put in place for anonymous and confidential disease notification. This will actually reduce the fear of identification should anyone contract STDs. Apart from these discloses and uses, only healthcare practitioners and subsequent attendants are privy to your medical information.