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11-20-2013, 09:27 PM #1New Member
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Emrgency room visit
Ok so 2 weeks ago I woke up with extreme chest pain. Turns out I was worrying too much and it was an intercostal muscle tear from my previous workout. I took it very serious and told the heart doctor I was taking test cyp. He didn't even know what it was at first and he even asked is that illegal? From my understanding everything is disclosed behind hospital doors however he wrote it down with his pen and pad. My insurance was obviously billed because I'm not paying a ton of money for that type of visit. Will I be ok as far as secrecy goes?
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11-20-2013, 10:54 PM #2
interesting! I hope he wont report it. let us know how it goes.
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11-20-2013, 11:03 PM #3New Member
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Originally Posted by bass
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11-21-2013, 03:35 AM #4
I think you probably meant confidential here? But the way you write it is closer to the truth. I just received a 2 page disclosure about who can request your medical records and when. 'patient confidentiality' they called it. There is absolutely nothing confidential about it. These days, if you tell your doctor something and he remembers to record it somewhere you're fvcked. Its part of you now.
Edit:
It is.easier for a 3rd party to get copies of my medical records than it is for me, the patient.Last edited by Java Man; 11-21-2013 at 03:38 AM.
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11-21-2013, 04:27 AM #5Associate Member
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i wouldn't worry about it, hippa laws protect u in most instances, doctors only are legally suppose to report gun or knife wounds, signs of child or elderly abuse, or infectious diseases, im sure hes not gonna worry about your test cyp.
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11-21-2013, 09:26 AM #6
He likely recorded it in your medical records, and you are likely marked for life as an illegal drug user in the eyes of any insurance company.
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11-21-2013, 12:24 PM #7New Member
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Originally Posted by joebailey1271
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11-21-2013, 07:21 PM #8
Your ok. I wouldn't worry about it. You know how many actual drug users he has probably dealt with. Real junkys.
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11-21-2013, 07:31 PM #9
HIPAA only prohibits against disclosure of information to those who do not have a legal right to it - which leaves quite a lot of people.
HIPAA still allows the sharing of your medical history for three things - Treatment, Payment, or Operations. "Payment" by the way includes your insurance company!
I do agree with the above posts and you are probably fine - but from now on be careful. I'd think long and hard before I told anyone if I were using an illegal substance.
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11-21-2013, 10:40 PM #10
I think he should be concerned about life and health insurance underwriters since this will become public record now. Make no mistake. If it is written down and therefore scanned or otherwise, it gets databased. It is public. Now when he dies his life insurance company has a nice exclusion clause item, a reason to reduce payout or refuse to pay at all. His health insurance has the same excuse now. Jail or fines are the least of his worries.
I feel like posting the full text of hippa amd 'patent confidentiality and rights' but I don't want to type it all out on my phone. I'm sure it can be found in many places on the web... The mother of all databases. Patients have no rights. I have to submit a request, in writing, along with my reasons for wanting a copy of whatever specifically referenced medical record,.which is then subject to approval by my doctor. Lol. My insurance company, law enforcement, child support agencies, my ex wifes attorney, etc. can also do so. Legally.Last edited by Java Man; 11-21-2013 at 10:43 PM.
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11-21-2013, 10:54 PM #11
People, please stop saying 'i heard' and 'they/she/he stated'. The legal term for that is 'hearsay' and its useless for good reason. One can state anything they want. Doesn't make it true. People hear what they think they heard, often what they want to hear. That doesn't mean its true. We have evolved as a global society. We don't use word of mouth anymore. Haven't for many thousands of years. We have codified laws. If it isn't in writing and from a certifiable, recognized authoritative source then it is hearsay.
Yes, a doctor can report someone who admits to being on heroin in an emergency room. Do they? Doubtful. They are kind of busy saving lives and providing treatment. I doubt if the LEO who answers the call would even be interested. There is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Man hurting himself in the ER who decided to get treated? Problem solved. Law isn't interested. His insurance company who has to pay for it? They're very interested.
/rant.Last edited by Java Man; 11-21-2013 at 10:56 PM.
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11-24-2013, 09:30 AM #12New Member
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Originally Posted by Java Man
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11-24-2013, 10:03 AM #13New Member
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Originally Posted by Bink
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12-22-2013, 09:17 PM #14
Bink,
I work in the insurance field, so I thought I may be able to offer a valid opinion here. I know that what you really want to know is “will telling this doctor about my test cyp use ever come back to bite me in the butt?” Let me tell you up front that I don’t know the answer to that question, but I’ll give you some things to think about, especially when applying for insurance in the future.
First let me say that I seriously doubt the doctor or an insurance company would report you to the authorities, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I’ll approach this from an insurance point of view and the general idea of permanent records.
There are two things to consider when you disclose something to your doctor: the in-office medical files and your insurance company files.
When your doctor submits an insurance claim on your behalf, it includes the information for the tests and treatment that he/she provides to you and that you are asking the insurance company to pay for. Sure, they will submit a claim to the insurance company to pay for an EKG and any tests, but the doctor should not send the insurance company a note to say that you disclosed that you used test cyp. In your case, your situation has nothing to do with test cyp use, so there’s no reason for any treatment that would raise a red flag for an insurance company. Apparently they’ve given you the diagnosis (muscle tear), so from their point of view, this has nothing to do with test cyp.
Insurance companies report information to the Medical Information Bureau (MIB). It’s a like a credit reporting agency for insurers. When you apply for insurance, the new insurer checks your MB file. It’s going to contain any adverse medical information such as previously declined policy applications or other details discovered during underwriting. I do not believe that your current medical insurance company will report adverse conditions to the MIB. Although I’m not 100% sure, I think it’s just for adverse conditions discovered during the underwriting of new policies, but don’t quote me on that. I could ask one of the underwriters at my company, if you really want to know. The MIB file holds adverse health information as well as other information uncovered during underwriting such as risky hobbies (skydiving), risky occupations (professional stuntman), and risky behaviors (bad driving record). It would include test cyp use, I think, if an insurer finds out about it. These things can affect your ability to get life, health, disability, or long term care insurance, and generally affect the price you pay. You can request a copy of your MIB file for free. Just go to their website. Google search MIB.
Your doctor also maintains in-office files. At one time these were probably paper charts, and a note about the test cyp use would have gone there. Paper files may be archived for a long time, but we’d assume that eventually they would be shredded. (Well, let’s hope they get shredded and not just thrown away). These days, more and more doctors use electronic records. Mine does. These may never get destroyed, at least as long as you are a patient of that office. In your case, you went to the Emergency Room. I imagine the hospital keeps records for a long time, and they’re probably electronic. Handwritten notes may even be scanned in. If it made it into your file, it may stick around for a long time in some format. When I visit my doctor, she lists anything I'm currently taking. This shows up on the printed summary report that she gives me at the end of my visit. Even supplements I'm using are listed. They use the to determine interactions for anything they prescribe. If your doctor entered it in their system, it will be part of your permanent record with them. No doubt. This doesn't mean it will become part of your insurance file, however.
When you apply for insurance the insurer has the right to ask your doctor for an Applied Physician Statement for any red flags they have. They will probably not ask for your entire file. Usually they have a concern and they want to know the physician’s assessment and response. And maybe to see the test results performed concerning the issue. I suppose it’s possible that they could send your doctor a questionnaire that asked questions such as a known history of drug use, but I’ve never heard of a company doing that. And that’s a question for your primary care physician, not an ER doctor. My company (life insurance) will request physician statements if an issue comes up from the MIB, the physical exam/blood test we administer when you apply, or the health questions we ask YOU about your health history. If you’re applying for insurance and the company is interested in this problem you just had (the recent muscle tear that brought you to the ER) and they want to know more, they may ask the doctor for his records on the incident. If he provides full case notes and mentions your discussion about test cyp, then the new insurance company will know. They may then report it to the MIB, and it’s part of your file. Honestly, I think the only way the ER visit will be investigated is if you mention it on an insurance company’s health questionnaire, but you never know how things like this can turn up.
Regarding payment of insurance claims: Life Insurance companies are allowed under most US state laws to have a 2 year maximum suicide and contestability exclusion on their policies. This means that if you commit suicide within 2 years of policy issue, the policy won’t pay out. After 2 years, it pays, even for suicide. During the 2 year contestability period, if a claim is made and they can prove that you misrepresented yourself (lied on the application), they can contest the payout, and you will only get a refund of the premiums you paid, not the full benefit. So, if you say you don’t sky dive, and you pass away 6 months after policy issue in a sky diving accident, the company can question it. It doesn’t mean that they won’t pay out, but they can investigate and possibly challenge it. And seriously, why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane, anyway?
I’m saying all this to say that if you lie about test cyp use and then you pass away from something related to that, your insurance company could challenge it. Keep in mind that, unlike my skydiving example, which is clear-cut, many causes of death could be related to test cyp use. If it looks suspicious, they may dig around, and if they find that ER record, then there’s proof of misrepresentation. But again, we’re talking about a 2 year contestability window.
Here’s what I would do, if you are concerned. Give it 6 months. Check your MIB file, it you think that’s necessary. See what’s reported. Call the hospital/ER/doctor to see if you can get a copy of your file. It’s worth a shot. I understand that it’s difficult to get doctors to give you your own records, which is completely crazy.
This was probably more information than you wanted. I’ll stop now….
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12-23-2013, 08:27 AM #15
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12-23-2013, 10:02 AM #16
Well, first I should say that originally I used the generic terms "m*d*cat*ons" and "dr*gs" throughout my post, but the spam filter on this forum wouldn't let me post it, so I had to change it. Apparently these are common spam words. So, I chose to use the term that the original poster used - "test cyp", and it doesn't carry the same meaning as my original words. The point I'm making is that any man-made substance we introduce in our bodies, legal or not, has the potential to cause problems. If someone dies and an autopsy is performed, if a controlled substance is discovered in the blood stream, the insurance company may contest the payout if they can prove that the policy holder lied on his insurance application. And in the Original Poster's case, if he did not disclose the substance use on an insurance application, and if they find that ER record, the insurance company may have proof that a misrepresentation occurred. But, in my original wording, before the spam filter slapped me down, the sentence said "many causes of death could be related to dr*gs." I was not trying to imply that use of this specific substance may kill someone, but rather than an insurance company, when investigating the payout of a claim, looks at the cause of death and the circumstances around the death closely. If a young person dies in a car wreck, the cause of death is known and understandable, if that same person dies of a medical issue that is statistically unusual for his insurance class, then the insurance company starts to wonder if something's up. I hope that helps to clarify.
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12-23-2013, 12:41 PM #17
Fascinating stuff, none of which I knew. Thanks a lot.
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12-23-2013, 08:32 PM #18
While I am no expert on medical disclosure laws, if you look at it logically of course the insurer has a right to and should be made aware use of illegal drugs. That's like a home insurer not having a right to know that the fire department found a deepfat chicken fryer in the center of a garage fire.
Simple truth is even prudent use of testosterone (like almost any other drug) can cause some side effects/changes to health. That said many use steroids irresponsibly and suffer a myriad of health issues as a result of their misuse. How many times have we seen threads where a guy used Tren for 3 months with no PCT and sought out medical help for erectile dysfunction or the guys who use Test at a high body fat with no AI's and wind up with gyno? Both of these can become very expensive to treat and I have never heard of anyone saying...Well it was my own mistake so I am going to pay out of pocket instead of screwing my insurance company over.
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12-23-2013, 08:38 PM #19
PS While I respect ScorpioNC's knowledge I am not sure that an insurance board would take the view that steroid use had nothing to do with a pec tear.
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12-23-2013, 09:00 PM #20
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01-11-2014, 09:28 PM #21Associate Member
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Wrong! You are so wrong. I manage a Dr Office and it is his duty to report you to BNDD. If it is in you medical record and something happens to you and they find out the Dr knew he will be held responsible for what happened to you. Lose his license and face criminal charges and civil charges from the family. Hopefully he didn't put it in your chart. Heck we have a program to log into to report such things. We don't even have to make a phone call. HIPPA only says he can't tell things about you to people that it is not their business. Any drug use can be reported to the proper channels. Good luck.
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01-11-2014, 09:49 PM #22
secrecy is a myth. he will write down everything significant you tell him. This becomes a part of your medical history and is accessible by others in the health care industry. it is possible that if something happens to you at the hospital, they may be able to use this information in their own defense. At this point, it becomes a matter of public record.
Secrets are never meant to be shared. Once you do share a "secret", it changes the nature of the information, and it is no longer a secret.
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