Do Blood Institutes pass your medical info onto other institutions?

Factual Questions
1

One of the few things that I do to ‘help the community’ or whatever, is to donate blood. It is actually about the only public-spirited thing that I actually feel good about doing. Or, rather, did. No more.
The last time that I went to donate blood at the nearby Blood Institute, everything was good, and I even glommed a cool recipe from one of the magazines in the waiting room while I was there. So, I was getting the pre-donation checkup, etc…, when they put a very, very small blood pressure cuff on my arm. It seemed pretty tight, but, no burden was too great, I felt, in doing my good deed.
Well, the BP reading was something like 170/95. Not good. The technician told me that it was possibly due to the too small cuff. Wow, that’s reassuring. Nothing like ‘possibly’ when it comes to me having a stroke. I just hope he enjoyed his lunch, later in the day, because I practically threw mine up.
OK, I calmed down, and went on with my life. About 2 weeks later, I got my info in the mail from the Blood Institute. Heart rate, 63, cholesterol, 125, etc… BP: 170/95. “Note: Seriously elevated”.
Oh, and I also had to go to get a physical for a job, about 2 months later. Oh, goody, my BP is nice and high, and I won’t get a job because of it. I can starve and then stroke out, or else I can have my paralyzing stroke first and won’t have to worry about the pain of rehab, because I won’t have the insurance for it, because I won’t have a job. But, that’s OK, because I’ll starve to death before I come out of my coma.
Well, suffice it to say, my BP reading was fine. BP reading was back down to it’s normal, safe level. Got the job, am dining well.

OK, a pox on the Blood Institute, and we are quits. They are a huge organization, and my arms are not huge by any stretch of the imagination, so I think if they couldn’t conjure up a normal sized BP cuff then, they won’t have produced one by now. Or, they would just look at me, put me in the loser column, and, again, just march me into the kiddie cuff room for another alarmingly false reading. Don’t need 'em.
Now, however, I am worried that they are not through with their mischief.
The main question: Are they sending the results of my pre-donation checkup on to MediFax, or some other medical info clearinghouse?

2

Wow. Mountain out of a molehill much?

3

Did you sign some kind of release? If not, they’re not sending your information anywhere. They’d be violating HIPAA.

4

Thank you. (Of course, who knows what I signed-who pays attention?)

5

Never ever sign anything without reading, or at least skimming, it.

6

I could not agree with this more strongly.

7

So you are no longer giving blood because they used a small cuff once? Is this correct?

8

One time I had my blood pressure taken by a young tech who had no idea what she was doing. She tried three different cuffs over the span of 10 minutes, claimed none of them were working, and went looking for a 4th. Then an older nurse came in and took my BP (with one of the “broken” cuffs) in about 30 seconds.

I don’t presume to speak for what anyone else would do in a similar situation, but I’m sure as *hell *never going back to that medical practice again.

9

I do. You should too.

If you don’t, you only have yourself to blame.

10

No idea. Probably not, but it’s hard to tell. Oftentimes whenever anyone does anything medicalish, they get a Waiver, just in case. In case what? Who knows…have the guy sign it, won’t hurt to have it on file.

And, actually, a blood collection center would have a slightly more than zero chance of needing to pass on some of your information - should you test positive for certain diseases that are mandated for reporting, for example. Your blood pressure wouldn’t be relevant there, but they may get everyone to sign a release in case the CDC needs to send someone out in a hazmat suit 'cause you pop a positive for ebola.

Only way to know is to ask them.

But you should also know that A) one elevated reading does not a diagnosis make, and everyone medicalish knows that. It may get you watched a little more closely to see if it’s a pattern for a bit, but it should absolutely not show up on anything as “Diagnosis: Hypertension”. B) 170/95 isn’t really into stroke territory, unless you have a history of blood clots or something. I mean, yeah, it’s high, but it’s not call an ambulance high. C) Dude calm down. You’re gonna give yourself high blood pressure, you keep this kind of stress level up. Try yoga.

11

No, I am no longer giving blood because

  1. They used a small cuff when they had an option of at least 5 thousand (hyperbole, of course) that they could have got, but, instead of taking 1 minute to get one, they chose to give me a false diagnosis of ‘seriously elevated’ BP.
  2. They gave me a false diagnosis, knowing it was false, or probably so, and were so cavalier with me in that manner. Are they that careless in labeling the blood?
  3. Because they gave me the written report, and had ‘Seriously elevated’ attached to my BP without a note saying that it was probably erroneous. Now, as noted above, they probably couldn’t give the info out without violating the law, but, again, mea culpa, but I don’t read what I sign in voluntarily doing a public service, to so-called medical professionals, because I didn’t know they would be such colossal screwups with something as simple as putting a child’s cuff on an adult. (On that point, even though I noted above that my arms are not the largest in the world, I’m a big person, so they should have taken a clue even before I sat down). So, had same info gone to MediFax, or whoever, I would have that note in my files saying “Hey, handsomeharry needs to be denied insurance…or, at least, rated up because his BP is seriously elevated.”
  4. I went in, literally, and gave my blood. I don’t deserve to get hosed like that. Kinda “FY, handsomeharry. Now, get back here in 2 months so we can get more blood from you.”
  5. Yes, I know that my panic was my reaction to what they did, but, had they been competent, I would not have had the weeks of anxiety. (My reaction is not their fault, of course, but the stimulus due to their ignorance, carelessness, lack of professionalism, bad medicine, was their fault.)
  6. Perhaps my behavior is irritating your sensibilities, but, when you reach my age, and you have no medical insurance, being told your BP is ‘seriously elevated’, the joke may not be the joyous lark to you as it is to you right now.

I have a litany of other reasons, but, I think these will get you pointed in the right direction.

12

Nah, I’m cool. The only thing that vexed me, after I resigned myself to the grave, was that I needed low blood pressure for the job physical. As pointed out above, the reading there was in my normal range, but, I’m suspicious that it was elevated even more that it should have been because I was so worried that I would be unemployable. You see, I wouldn’t even have worried about it, had I been given a correct reading earlier.

And, in re the passing on of info to MediFax (I don’t know if there is a MediFax, just a name I conjured up to represent clearinghouses) and Blood Institutes not having a good reason for passing info along: At least a few years ago, you couldn’t scratch your privates without the info being passed on (again, hyperbole) to some such outfit. And, you noted you have no idea if it happens now.

You also pointed out that it would get one watched more closely. This isn’t quite the glorious experience that you make it out to be. As a matter of fact, I, or perhaps an employer or potential insurer, would call it ‘not lovely.’ I don’t need ‘not lovely.’ I need ‘lovely.’

At any rate, thanks for your input.

13

I hope that there is another place in your area that you can donate blood and that they do a better job by your standards.

14

That wasn’t true in the past and it’s certainly not true now. Companies take HIPPA extremely seriously and it’s pretty hard to sign a HIPPA release without knowing it. Reasonable concern over the release of your health care information is important, but you have the tools available to you to control that information.