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

To a degree, at least, that seems to have done the trick. "My second letter to the hospital where my colonoscopy was done got results," the reader wrote me a few days later after getting a second response from the genetic counseling center. "It sounds like they will incorporate what I considered to be my most salient concerns by making the voluntary nature of the form clear and only using the last four digits of the Social Security number. Still, I wonder how many people at the hospital, the genetics institute, and maybe elsewhere can see the information on those forms? How is it stored and how is it protected? To me, this just serves as a warning that we all need to be extremely vigilant in all facets of our lives."

Indeed. When I decided not to identify the hosptial -- my own form of medical privacy policy, I guess -- I googled the sneakwrap language in their genetic center's form to make sure it wouldn't be too easy to figure out who they were that way. No chance -- the by-sumbitting-this-form-you-agree kind of wording is in to be found in all manner of medical documents all over the place. Hopefully the context isn't always quite as scary as with this example, but a little more vigilance from all of us is just what the doctor ordered.

Post your comments about this story on my website or write Ed Foster at Foster@gripe2ed.com.