ou are right about that…no argument about that. I think early this morning someone asked how would the patient know if a visitor was a friend or a proces server…I was kind of thinking that sounds pretty rare…but the person I was picturing asking the patient wasnt a nurse,it was floor staff. At one local hospital they have floorstaff person verify with a patient if theres some question about not being sure about a visitor. I very much doubt the proces server scenario comes up often at hospitals as regarding a visitor posing as one, so I dont think this would become an issue.
Also consider: there are many kinds of medical conditions which prevent the patient from being able to communicate their wishes – like a coma. You can’t ask if they want to see Tom. (Well, you could ask, but don’t expect a reply…)
There’s also the legal issues surrounding who gets to make medical decisions if the patient isn’t capable of it. Next-of-kin rules exist because medical personnel rarely have time for the family to duke it out over who gets the final say in these medical decisions. If the patient is dying right fuckin now, they need to be able to look to ONE person who will give their okay for the treatment.
HIPAA and privacy are vital for a great number of reasons. Literally anyone could walk off the street and claim to be a patient’s friend, whether it’s true or not; and if the patient is unconscious it’s not like staff can ask. People lie, and family ties at least typically have legal paperwork associated with them. If push comes to shove, the hospital can only know and rely on the information they have available to them, and if the information is questionable, the best they can do is rely upon the most reliable source, the legal paperwork.
In short, the hospital staff can’t know and won’t have time to get involved in every patient’s particular family dynamic.
In practice, I was able to bring whoever I wanted to the infusion room when I was going through chemotherapy, and no one said boo. The nurses found out who were friends and who were family because we’d chat while they were pumping me full of fun chemicals, not because anyone screened them ahead of time. Of course I was fully cognizant the entire time, and having someone there was extremely helpful because it was hellish trying to get back home afterwards even with help.
Regarding HIPAA, hospitals, and live visits…
The visitor will need to know if the person is in the hospital and where they are. Hospitals should not be releasing that info.
Perhaps you suspect someone may be in the hospital and you call or walk in asking if so-and-so is a patient there and what room. They can’t (or, aren’t supposed to anyway) verify whether or not anyone is a patient. Even if you know someone is a patient, they aren’t supposed to tell you what room because that amounts to a verification of a patient.
If you were to call, I believe their switchboard won’t even ring a room by name. You need to know the room number.
It’s not just HIPPA. 9/11 and shootings in public places like schools played a role too. For example, the hospitals in my area now require all visitors to stop at a security station and sign in when entering the premises even if they know the room number of the patient. Visitors are also required to wear a VISITOR badge or sticker.
As far as who gets to visit that’s often up to the patient and/or doctors/staff. Some patients and their families just don’t want any visitors other than close family members and doctors and staff can have the same restrictions in order to protect privacy.