So I’m filling out a pre-registration form for the maternity ward at my local hospital. They ask for:
[ul]
[li]Doctor’s name[/li][li]My name, address, assorted relevant personal info[/li][li]Info for a legal guardian (if applicable) and an emergency contact[/li][li]Insurance information[/li][/ul]
I can understand all that. But nearly a quarter of the single-page form consists of information about my employer. Name, address, phone number, my occupation, and my working status.
Why is this any of their business, seeing as I have checked off the box that says this that my childbirth is not “related to an accident or injury”? (Ha!) My insurance is not through my employer, and anyway, the insurance block asks for the subscriber’s employer infomation. They don’t ask anything about sources of income - so they can’t be judging that I won’t be able to pay if I don’t have a job. If I need special disability treatment because of a particular job, that’s between me and my doctor.
Are they going to come after my wages if I don’t pay? Are they going to send a collection agency to stand by my desk or call me on my office phone 12 times a day? By filling this out, am I giving away any privacy rights for my employer to know about my health?
I just want my health care providers and my workplace to stay the heck away from each other, unless there’s a very good reason.
If you die, and the next of kin don’t claim your body, the hospital has to do something with it. Otherwise, the bodies pile up in the hallways and storerooms, where they interfere with the movement of gurneys and the sex lives of the residents. Employers are usually happy to take the bodies for revivification as pre-trained (good old muscle memory) zombie workers. I’m sure you’ve noticed a few in your office.
Seriously, though: your insurance may not be tied to your workplace, but most patient insurance is. Also, if your insurance falls through, it helps the hospital in their collections efforts, just like any other creditor. “Good’ reason”? They thinks so.
KP pretty much has it right. Whenever you enter into a financial transaction with a health-care provider, they’re going to want to know as much about you and your whereabouts as possible. If they can’t find you at home, they at least have another avenue to look for you, should you decline to pay your bill.
That said, if you really don’t want to put that information on the form, you don’t have to. As long as the insurance is verifiable (that is, if they call the insurance company, the insurance company’s heard of you), they’ve got no real reason to know about your employer.
You’ll be relieved to know that under no circumstances can your health-care provider share protected health information with your employer without your express written permission. The best they can do is ask you to get documentation from your doctor to give to them, and it has to be specifically related to your job. For example, if you need accomodations to do your job, your employer will ask for a note from your doctor, just as you would if you were disabled.
Agree. As a small business owner who performs services on credit, I get as much information as possible when I sign people up. Home number, work number, cell phone number etc. Makes collecting a lot easier. It’s shocking how many people try to duck a bill.