# Ask the psychiatrists' receptionist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 4, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957 "2008-04-04T18:00:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/21 "2008-04-04T20:59:10Z")
Tread very carefully with this thread Alias - particularly if you are posting from work. Psychiatrists don’t take HIPAA violations lightly. Any information that MIGHT identify a patient would be a violation. ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/22 "2008-04-04T21:08:21Z")
[QUOTE=Dangerosa] Tread very carefully with this thread Alias - particularly if you are posting from work. Psychiatrists don’t take HIPAA violations lightly. Any information that MIGHT identify a patient would be a violation. [/QUOTE] I know that, and I’d never reveal something so telling that it would reveal a patient’s identity. However, telling stories, etc from work without revealing names or serious details is not violating anything. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/23 "2008-04-04T22:26:52Z")
[QUOTE=Alias] Any questions? [/QUOTE] Why do you always stare at me when I come in, guess you think I’m hot :D. j/k Drachillix \<— not a patient, at least not her docs…I’d have to be crazy to go there :D. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/24 "2008-04-05T00:15:06Z")
[QUOTE=Alias] Any questions? [/QUOTE] Why does the enchanted unicorn in my underpants drawer tell me to burn things? Also, has your office recently been inspected for fire code violations? I ask because I care. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/25 "2008-04-05T05:30:40Z")
> [@](#): > > I know that, and I’d never reveal something so telling that it would reveal a patient’s identity. However, telling stories, etc from work without revealing names or serious details is not violating anything. I have to disagree. While your posts don’t give identifying details such as names, you tell very identifying stories that would be readily identifiable to the patients and in some cases, those who know them. You have used information from a privileged and confidential context to tell “funny things” about people. Use this test: If you showed this thread to the psychiatrists you work for, would they think it was okay? Would they feel confident that this was not a HIPAA violation? Are you thinking about the fact that your actions affect their licenses? I hate to be a downer, but if you were my secretary in this setting and I learned about this thread, you’d be my ex-secretary. ---
**Author:** ![Tabula\_Rasa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@Tabula\_Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabula_Rasa)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/26 "2008-04-05T05:59:07Z")
Do you say “Hi, Bob” when the elevator opens? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/27 "2008-04-05T06:17:47Z")
[QUOTE=susan] I have to disagree. While your posts don’t give identifying details such as names, you tell very identifying stories that would be readily identifiable to the patients and in some cases, those who know them. You have used information from a privileged and confidential context to tell “funny things” about people. Use this test: If you showed this thread to the psychiatrists you work for, would they think it was okay? Would they feel confident that this was not a HIPAA violation? Are you thinking about the fact that your actions affect their licenses? I hate to be a downer, but if you were my secretary in this setting and I learned about this thread, you’d be my ex-secretary. [/QUOTE] So, uh, not a fan of **Qadgop’s** bagel dog story, I take it? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Rosewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mr.Rosewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Rosewater)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/28 "2008-04-05T07:04:36Z")
Do you have to be crazy to work there? Would it help? Strolling casually away, neither ducking nor running. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/29 "2008-04-05T07:22:11Z")
Do you have anything on your desk? I notice my pshrink’s receptionist has a clean desk to prevent anything being thrown. The doc himself has a messy desk. But then again he is nuts. They all are. ---
**Author:** ![Purgatory\_Creek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Purgatory\_Creek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purgatory_Creek)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/30 "2008-04-05T08:23:16Z")
[QUOTE=Alias] I know that, and I’d never reveal something so telling that it would reveal a patient’s identity. However, telling stories, etc from work without revealing names or serious details is not violating anything. [/QUOTE] I’m sure you’re trying very hard to protect identities, but as **susan** mentioned, details such as those you related above about the sleeping patient can be very distinctive and identifiable. You might also want to consider if you would like your healthcare practitioners laughing on a public message board about your festering fungal infection, gossiping about your children’s head lice, or snickering at your elderly relative’s senile dementia. This is information that is entrusted to your office, in many cases by vulnerable people, and there are moral questions as well as legal issues to consider. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/31 "2008-04-05T11:16:52Z")
[QUOTE=Alias] I know that, and I’d never reveal something so telling that it would reveal a patient’s identity. However, telling stories, etc from work without revealing names or serious details is not violating anything. [/QUOTE] You’ve had two opinions in this thread that disagree with you. I’d suggest asking for the thread to be closed. **samclem** not moderating, but giving you a “professional” suggestion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/32 "2008-04-05T11:19:51Z")
[QUOTE=Alias] I know that, and I’d never reveal something so telling that it would reveal a patient’s identity. However, telling stories, etc from work without revealing names or serious details is not violating anything. [/QUOTE] I suspect your employers might not see it the same way. They hired you to not only handle the appointments but to keep things private and confidential, that’s expected of medical professionals. I should close this thread but it’s your risk and your job and you acting in ways that could be interpreted as unprofessional and indiscreet; the management here is not responsible. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957/33 "2008-04-05T14:23:47Z")
Closed at the request of the original poster. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-psychiatrists-receptionist/443957.md?page=1)