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Daily news for Seattle's Ballard neighborhood |
SmartsyArtsy
offlineMember
Anyone else affected by this? Ballard Plaza Pharmacy is transfering prescription accounts to Safeway in a few days with very short notice to their (almost prior) customers.
Apparently we have no say in whether or not they do this. I have a big problem with this and can't believe that this is not considered a breach of privacy.
Would like anyone's thoughts on this.
teigyr
offlineMember
Is this Ballard Plaza Pharmacy in the hospital? If so, they are unique in that they compound some prescriptions that aren't readily found elsewhere. Safeway would be bad and probably impossible. Not for me, it's the cat. They do a LOT of pet medications :) Hopefully it's not Ballard Plaza Pharmacy.
Jefferson
offlineMember
It is Ballard Plaza Pharmacy.
They will still do compounding.
I don't use these folks, but I'd be pissssed if this happened to me.
SmartsyArtsy
offlineMember
I should have made that clear, that they will ONLY handle compounding. So they are not going away, but getting out of the majority of cases and the headaches of dealing with so many insurance company issues.
I have a call into the manager about this. What pissed me off even more is that when I called I was told that the short notice was due to Safeways decision. WTH?
RichY
offlineMember
You can go to any Pharmacy that you wish and have all your records transferred, the problem is that most pharmacies have proprietary computing systems so it is a pain to do one-offs, and if they are going to move all scripts somewhere it is better to send them to a large network, like Safeway, Walgreens. I would prefer Bartells.
Sunflower75
offlineMember
Just to clarify - if you request that your records go to a different pharmacy - they won't do it? they'll only send to Safeway - then you have to have Safeway forward to the pharmacy of your choice?
I can see why you are upset - but I wouldn't be concerned about privacy being breached - safeway pharm will have the same privacy standards - but I understand the part about being upset about not being in control of your own records.
teigyr
offlineMember
Ok so I'm easily confused :) Pretend I'm a third grader (one of the slower ones) when you answer this. So...when it comes time to renew her prescription, I call them? They will compound. Do I then go pick it up from them or do they ship it to Safeway? Is Safeway only for the "normal" prescriptions? Or is it that their lab is still there but the storefront is gone.
I'm pretty sure when I call to renew, I will have all the answers I need but if they compound and then send to Safeway the turnaround time might be longer and I might have to actually call ahead more than 24 hours.
RichY
offlineMember
They should (I believe they must) send them to any pharmacy that requests them on your behalf, I think what this place is doing is just stopping doing retail scripts and will close the front door to the gen public - so they needed a place to hold the info for their customers, not unlike your doctor or insurance agent retiring.
teigyr
offlineMember
Interesting. I'm sure my vet will have all the info too. Am glad they are still compounding, not too many places do it. It was convenient that they were so close.
SmartsyArtsy
offlineMember
i'm quite aware that I can have Safeway transfer my records. My privacy will be breached. It is because someone is getting info about me against my wishes.
I just spoke with the manager, whom I know well. All paper records are going whether I like it or not. If I have another pharmacy request my records before Tuesday, they will get the electronic record but NOT the paper. So much with the HIPPA crap.
It's an interesting question who owns one's medical records.
We assume a writer owns the transcript of an interview; and a statistician can own the results of his research but medical records seems so intimate...
Sunset Hill David
offlineMember
It's not really a big deal. If you go to Bartell's with your prescription, or just your bottle of pills, they will be more than happy to take it over. They'll probably give you a gift for transferring your prescription, too.
RichY
offlineMember
There is a long history of medical records - at one point, not long ago, they were only for medical staff and the patient was not allowed access to the notes, ever
SmartsyArtsy
offlineMember
Actually RichY, it was a very long time ago, if it ever was. The thing is, because so many institutions refused to allocate personnel or create procedures for patients to view and/or take a copy of their records, they acted as if it was not allowed. Doctors followed suit. Thirty years ago I began treatment with a dentist who included the doctor's visit notes with the financial paperwork at every visit. They also called my office if they were running more than 10 minutes late-- but that is a whole different discussion.
A few years later, I saw a doctor whose staff handed us the whole paper file when we checked in, as well as my own copy of anything that transpired (notes, test results, etc) at the last visit. When I went into the doctor's office I handed over the file to him. He created a cassette tapes of every consultation which he handed over when I left his office. He and his staff RESPECTED their clients.
From that time on to present, I ALWAYS ask for and get a copy of everything in my file. I wonder when "they were only for medical staff and the patient was not allowed access to the notes, ever" was actually a legal practice.
volvoguy
offlineMember
" All paper records are going whether I like it or not. If I have another pharmacy request my records before Tuesday, they will get the electronic record but NOT the paper. So much with the HIPPA crap."
Safeway is the pitts; I wouldn't trust them to carefully guard my personal data. Write a complaint to the AG and city attorney and ask for an injunction pronto, before you end up on a bunch of junk mail lists.
SmartsyArtsy
offlineMember
I like your thinking, volvoguy. I put a call into the AG office but didn't hear back yet.
teigyr
offlineMember
Well in this case it's for the cat but even for my own stuff, who cares? Seriously. I'm not going to inundate people with maladies but if someone truly wanted to know what medical info I have to share, I could. My guess is most of us are not so different and really, it just doesn't matter.
They seemed like a decent pharmacy. I'm up in hillbillyland so for my personal non-interesting things, I go to one up here. For the cat, who is FAR more interesting, I go to that pharmacy because mine can't provide what she needs. I'm ok with them releasing her medical records though. While her IBD disturbs us and the hardwood floors to no end, my guess is if big brother (or anyone) is watching, they'd wish us well on refinishing the floors and go onto whatever it is they do.
stopgo
offlineMember
I hate safeway. Out of reluctance, i went this this week due to childcare issues and being short on medicine. Needless to say, and I'm sorry to say, I smell poop at register 5. Poop people. Literally. Poop
RichY
offlineMember
SmartsyArtsy, in my social conscious days back in the late 60's I worked in mental health, not as a patient (maybe I should have been), and whenever we were asked to send files to court or with a patient, we redacted all of our notes on those copies, the idea was that a doctor kept notes and diagnosis that needed to be candid for good a good diagnosis and if the patient might see them then the doctors would only write stuff that would 'politically correct' and not for the patients well being.
Legal or custom, it was what most clinics did.
then about ~ 70~72 the personal records reform in WA state passed that allowed patents the right to see un redacted medical records as well a school records and as a side regulation it gave medical privacy to children 14 to 18 years of age.
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