Your health care provider made you talk about your birth control option in a room where other people could hear you. Is it against patient privacy protection law?

Answer 1

The privacy protection law basically says that your doctor can not discuss your medical condition without your consent.

Answer

The above statement is too narrow. Your concerns are perfectly reasonable. Everything you discuss with your doctor about you is personal and confidential. Your doctor needs a refresher on patient relations. My neighbor gives classes at the local teaching hospital that instructs doctors how to be more considerate of their patient's feelings. It is a required course.

Unfortunately, we often have time to think about what we should have done after an uncomfortable situation has occurred. You should have asked your doctor for more privacy. Discussions between you and your doctor should be absolutely private and you have the right to expect privacy. It's not too late to complain. You could write a note to the doctor and explain that you were both embarrassed and concerned at the breach of privacy.

You could also complain to your insurance provider. Providers have become more concerned with patient satisfaction as patients have become more aggressive about expressing their problems with their healthcare. Many companies send out surveys to monitor all the aspects of a patient's services from their doctors. You might try calling a customer service representative and ask if they have a procedure for addressing such complaints.