What Do Patients Do When They Don't Trust Us?
According to the California Health Care Foundation national poll in January 1999, one in six American adults say they have done something out of the ordinary to keep medical information confidential.
Some of the things patients do to protect their privacy include:
- Do not obtain treatment
- Give incomplete or inaccurate information
- Pay out of pocket to prevent an insurance claim
- Move from one physician to another
- Ask the doctor not to document their actual condition
Avoiding treatment altogether, or giving incomplete or inaccurate information to keep it out of their medical record.
The Gallup poll conducted for Medic Alert indicated significant concern with how insurance companies and managed care organizations protect confidential information. As a result of this mistrust, some patients will pay out of pocket to prevent an insurance claim from being filed for a medical condition.
Some patients will "doctor hop" to keep one provider from having their complete medical history and treatment.
Finally, some patients will ask their doctor not to document their actual condition or document a less severe diagnosis to keep the information out of their medical record for fear that their privacy will be compromised.
All these behaviors are born out of a fear that confidential information won't be kept private, which can result in quality of care being compromised and can negatively affect the entire health care system.