Sneakwrapped Medical Forms

We are all increasingly inured to the daily assaults various institutions make on our rights and privacy through the sneakwrap terms in their forms, mail stuffers, warranties, monthly statements, etc. But some medical patients in one metropolis that will remain nameless are just a little safer today from such outrages because of one reader who read the fine print, took the time to think about it, and then sai

We are all increasingly inured to the daily assaults various institutions make on our rights and privacy through the sneakwrap terms in their forms, mail stuffers, warranties, monthly statements, etc. But some medical patients in one metropolis that will remain nameless are just a little safer today from such outrages because of one reader who read the fine print, took the time to think about it, and then said no.

Like many of us of a certain age, the reader had been told by his doctor that a colonoscopy was in order. "Included with my preparation information was a one-page form from a genetics institute that I'd never heard of asking for my family's medical regarding several types of cancer," the reader wrote. "OK, even as a layman, I can understand how such information might be pertinent to this procedure. The form also asked for my name, date of birth, address, phone number, and Social Security number. Then near the bottom it said:

By submitting this form to your physician ... you agree to the possibility that you may be contacted to discuss the opportunity for a clinical consultation at (the genetics institute)."

This legalese suggesting he was entering some kind of contract involving very sensitive personal information - not just of his own but of his entire family - brought the reader up short. "Wait a minute -- by submitting medical information that the doctor apparently requires, I have to agree to enter a relationship with some organization I don't know? At the very least, I need to understand what they are going to be doing with this information and what their privacy practices are. Now, I might be perfectly willing to participate in medical research if that's what this is. But I would like to be asked, not tricked into it by some shrinkwrap-like agreement. I'm disappointed that the medical profession is apparently stooping to the level of the software industry."

The more the reader thought about the form (along with all the worries and stresses of prepping for a colonosocpy), the less he liked it. "Why would they need my Social Security number?" he wondered. "Is this a genuine request for medical information or some kind of marketing thing or even an identity theft scam? To have my SSN, date of birth and all this other information on a form that will be passed from hand to hand around a hospital and who knows what other organizations is VERY questionable."

The reader decided not to submit the form. "Thankfully, there was no grief about not returning the form -- nobody at the hospital even asked about it," the reader wrote. "The hospital experience itself was actually better than I could have hoped for, and the results look good. After I got home, I did a little checking and discovered that the genetics center is indeed connected to the hospital, so I decided to write them a letter explaining my concerns about their form."