my phlebotomist was on the phone...wtf?
December 16, 2019 6:20 PM Subscribe
I went to a LabCorp last week and I realized the phlebotomist was on the the phone (bluetooth thingie hidden under a headscarf, personal call, clearly non-urgent) while she was taking my blood. How should I proceed?
I'd thought maybe she was just talking to herself when she was pulling up my info but nope, definitely a personal call from what I overheard while she was sticking the needle into me. Fortunately I have easy veins so she didn't mess up but I was flabbergasted. I filled out a "rate your visit" survey online and described what happened but haven't heard back yet. Phone numbers for LabCorp seem to be for billing departments. It seems this office only ever has one employee so it's unlikely that a supervisor or coworker will ever be there to see her doing this and discipline her. What should my next step be? Also, reality check please: it's reasonable to be appalled about this...right??
I'd thought maybe she was just talking to herself when she was pulling up my info but nope, definitely a personal call from what I overheard while she was sticking the needle into me. Fortunately I have easy veins so she didn't mess up but I was flabbergasted. I filled out a "rate your visit" survey online and described what happened but haven't heard back yet. Phone numbers for LabCorp seem to be for billing departments. It seems this office only ever has one employee so it's unlikely that a supervisor or coworker will ever be there to see her doing this and discipline her. What should my next step be? Also, reality check please: it's reasonable to be appalled about this...right??
I'm confused, did she injure you or botch the procedure in some way? If not then I can understand feeling a little annoyed but I can't imagine wanting to jeopardize their employment over it.
posted by ludwig_van at 6:33 PM on December 16, 2019 [78 favorites]
posted by ludwig_van at 6:33 PM on December 16, 2019 [78 favorites]
It might be difficult to get non-billing contact information from Labcorp because they handle drug testing, which can get heated (like, folks get stalked coming out of labcorps heated). In my opinion, it's an annoyance and if you had access to a supervisor, I might report it, but also if you don't, I'd probably let it go.
posted by dinty_moore at 6:35 PM on December 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by dinty_moore at 6:35 PM on December 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
I've had some really bad phlebotomists that have given me nerve damage who were focused and trying hard. Honestly if she did the draw cleanly and correctly I wouldn't care if she was tap dancing.
posted by ananci at 6:36 PM on December 16, 2019 [56 favorites]
posted by ananci at 6:36 PM on December 16, 2019 [56 favorites]
Depends on you and your circumstances. I'm comfortable with confrontation and would have said, "Excuse me, please make your call when you've finished your work with me" and moved or reached out to touch her. On the other hand, when I recently had pneumonia I wouldn't have cared if someone in a gorilla suit was arguing on the phone with their mother. "Just take the damn blood" was as much as I could have managed.
The real key to change is to speak to whomever wanted the blood test in the first place. Complain to them, mention "unprofessional" and "concerns." And follow up with your report. "Just wanted to know the outcome of my concern." Unspoken: Because we certainly want any malpractice problems, would we?
posted by kestralwing at 6:39 PM on December 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
The real key to change is to speak to whomever wanted the blood test in the first place. Complain to them, mention "unprofessional" and "concerns." And follow up with your report. "Just wanted to know the outcome of my concern." Unspoken: Because we certainly want any malpractice problems, would we?
posted by kestralwing at 6:39 PM on December 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
Following up on my answer after reading earlier answers. I'm glad your experience went okay, but taking blood can indeed cause permanent damage if not done correctly. At the very least, find somewhere else to have the procedure done.
posted by kestralwing at 6:43 PM on December 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by kestralwing at 6:43 PM on December 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
Maybe not appalled, but it was certainly unprofessional and I would've stopped her.
posted by praemunire at 6:43 PM on December 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 6:43 PM on December 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: To me the very fact that it is possible to cause nerve damage while drawing blood when you are giving it your full attention is exactly why someone should not be multi-tasking. Phlebotomists frequently tell me I have great veins so her success at sticking me doesn't mean she's particularly skilled.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:45 PM on December 16, 2019 [21 favorites]
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:45 PM on December 16, 2019 [21 favorites]
I personally would not try to get someone fired over this.
posted by wintersweet at 6:46 PM on December 16, 2019 [22 favorites]
posted by wintersweet at 6:46 PM on December 16, 2019 [22 favorites]
This is not a hill I would pick to die on. Nor would I pick it to kill someone’s job over. Move on.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:54 PM on December 16, 2019 [18 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 6:54 PM on December 16, 2019 [18 favorites]
Was she by any chance a woman of color or religious minority? If so, I’d say tread carefully and really think this through before you make any kind of formal report since this could damage her career. Did you consider saying something to her directly? That’s still an option.
posted by bluedaisy at 6:58 PM on December 16, 2019 [15 favorites]
posted by bluedaisy at 6:58 PM on December 16, 2019 [15 favorites]
I would have thought it was rude but not something I would report. Last time I got blood drawn, the woman doing it was chatting it up with her coworker, laughing, talking about some party they were going to go to—to me that’s a similar level of rude but not reportable.
posted by sallybrown at 7:00 PM on December 16, 2019 [9 favorites]
posted by sallybrown at 7:00 PM on December 16, 2019 [9 favorites]
I would die on this hill. My shitty veins have made me bitchy, and I would have told her to get off the phone, but if you say something, you may be saving someone who is less brave from pain or even damage. Multitasking is a myth. Phlebotomy is a complicated medical procedure that demands full attention. See here. I wouldn’t let my hair stylist do this, let alone someone sticking needles in my arm. You are right to be appalled. Please say something.
posted by FencingGal at 7:13 PM on December 16, 2019 [24 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 7:13 PM on December 16, 2019 [24 favorites]
Response by poster: Can anyone who is a phlebotomist or similar weigh in on this from a safety perspective? Perhaps I'm overestimating the risks. If there's no increased risk I am happy to drop it. If someone is increasing risk to patients by talking on the phone while providing medical care, I think I need to pursue it. From a personal ethical standpoint, if this person's phlebotomy training would have taught her that multitasking while drawing blood increases risk of injury to the patient, and she has very consciously chosen to ignore that, if she gets fired for that then that is on her.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:14 PM on December 16, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:14 PM on December 16, 2019 [10 favorites]
This page on safety considerations in phlebotomy specifically says don’t multitask.
posted by FencingGal at 7:20 PM on December 16, 2019 [17 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 7:20 PM on December 16, 2019 [17 favorites]
Mod note: Couple of comments deleted. Points about endangering the phlebotomist's employment have been made. Beyond that OP can choose which info is helpful for their question; AskMe's not a debate space. Please from here on, answers should stick to the medical question about how risky multitasking is in this setting.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:34 PM on December 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:34 PM on December 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
I would pursue it. One time I went to get some bloodwork done at a new place and they brought me into what was clearly once a storage closet with some curtains and a chair and an *open box of crackers*. Sorry but that's gross and unnecessary and I did get someone in trouble that day. I did that bc my hubby has a needle phobia and if they brought him into a storage closet with open food he would have had a meltdown. It's better they hear about this before someone has a really bad day.
posted by bleep at 7:36 PM on December 16, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by bleep at 7:36 PM on December 16, 2019 [5 favorites]
Honestly I would be horrified. The thought of a medical professional being on the phone while treating me sounds like such an invasion of privacy and just generally offensive. I’m not sure why so many people seem indifferent about it!
posted by katypickle at 7:38 PM on December 16, 2019 [29 favorites]
posted by katypickle at 7:38 PM on December 16, 2019 [29 favorites]
Yeah, safety or not, that's a HIPAA violation toot sweet.
posted by notsnot at 7:52 PM on December 16, 2019 [15 favorites]
posted by notsnot at 7:52 PM on December 16, 2019 [15 favorites]
I would very much not be ok with that.
Depending on where you were, perhaps one of these numbers would lead you to the right place.
https://www.labcorp.com/about-us/primary-testing-specialty-labs
Also, the media relations page has a VP contact listed.
Odds are, if you call you will get an assistant who can let you know who you should call.
posted by madajb at 7:59 PM on December 16, 2019 [3 favorites]
Depending on where you were, perhaps one of these numbers would lead you to the right place.
https://www.labcorp.com/about-us/primary-testing-specialty-labs
Also, the media relations page has a VP contact listed.
Odds are, if you call you will get an assistant who can let you know who you should call.
posted by madajb at 7:59 PM on December 16, 2019 [3 favorites]
To be clear, it's less indifference and more awareness of how difficult and creepy you might have to be to find said supervisor. At one point I was sharing housing with someone who worked at Medtox/Labcorp, and even though they weren't working on drug testing on controlled substances, we went through and removed every reference we could find to where we lived on the internet, due to incidents. If you are going to pursue this, be very clear as to why you are trying to initiate contact and be aware why people might be skeptical and stonewall you.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:13 PM on December 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by dinty_moore at 8:13 PM on December 16, 2019 [1 favorite]
The problem that immediately occurred to me was not with the draw but with the paperwork. Distracted people are how vials get switched and forms get marked incorrectly and both of those can yield life threatening results.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:15 PM on December 16, 2019 [35 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:15 PM on December 16, 2019 [35 favorites]
ICU nurse here. Completely inappropriate behavior, even if you're an easy stick. Likelihood of injury is not enormous, but that's only part of the point. I would not want this person drawing blood from my patients.
posted by Pantengliopoli at 9:01 PM on December 16, 2019 [34 favorites]
posted by Pantengliopoli at 9:01 PM on December 16, 2019 [34 favorites]
Yeah, no. Presumably they’re being paid to do a job, not talk on the phone. And one way or another, you’re the one paying them. You’re entitled to their undivided attention as they perform a medical procedure on you.
If they don’t care enough to give you their full attention, they shouldn’t be in the job. At all, anywhere. They can go find a job somewhere that doesn’t require their full attention and doesn’t put anyone’s health at risk, and that will also open up a job for someone who is actually professional.
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:08 PM on December 16, 2019 [4 favorites]
If they don’t care enough to give you their full attention, they shouldn’t be in the job. At all, anywhere. They can go find a job somewhere that doesn’t require their full attention and doesn’t put anyone’s health at risk, and that will also open up a job for someone who is actually professional.
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:08 PM on December 16, 2019 [4 favorites]
Physician here. It's not a HIPAA violation -- unless she was giving them your name/date of birth or medical information -- but it's very unprofessional to have extended side conversations in front of a patient (phone or in-person, but phone is definitely worse). For an experienced phlebotomist working on an easy vein, the actual procedure is largely muscle memory, so I'd be less worried about safety and more about mislabeling due to distraction.
That said, the times to intervene are in the moment, directly afterwards to a supervisor (i.e. before you leave the building), or on the Rate Your Visit survey. If you described what happened on that, it will almost certainly get back to her, possibly in a semi-public, in front of the rest of the staff, way.
I understand you want to make sure this doesn't happen again, but calling up a bunch of LabCorp numbers trying to find the right one feels like a desire to see her punished, rather than a desire for the behavior to stop.
posted by basalganglia at 4:40 AM on December 17, 2019 [34 favorites]
That said, the times to intervene are in the moment, directly afterwards to a supervisor (i.e. before you leave the building), or on the Rate Your Visit survey. If you described what happened on that, it will almost certainly get back to her, possibly in a semi-public, in front of the rest of the staff, way.
I understand you want to make sure this doesn't happen again, but calling up a bunch of LabCorp numbers trying to find the right one feels like a desire to see her punished, rather than a desire for the behavior to stop.
posted by basalganglia at 4:40 AM on December 17, 2019 [34 favorites]
I've had plenty of blood draws where the person sticking me is chatting with me or with someone else in the room, and it would never occur to me to ask them to be silent while they perform the procedure. I suppose I could see the argument that a phone conversation is slightly more distracting than an in-person conversation, but personally, I would not be bothered by this at all.
posted by Rock Steady at 5:04 AM on December 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 5:04 AM on December 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
Focusing strictly on the question -
I would be bothered too, but I think you've done everything that was within your power to do - you passed on your complaint via the "rate your visit" form. It looks like you wanted someone to get back in touch with you about that and ask you more questions and keep you updated, and I don't think that's going to happen - they may have a policy of not following up on complaints unless there's an actual active instance of "someone was injured as a result of what happened".
But I wouldn't take their silence as a sign of inattention. They may just have all the information they need from you and are taking it from there. Disciplinary actions are not always shared with the complaining party.
So in short - you were right to complain, but you may be wrong to expect that there's anything you can do or should do above and beyond what you have already done. The most I would do is mention it to the doctor who referred you to them so they know to double-check before sending people to that lab again; but beyond that I'd just let the established process do what the process does.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:16 AM on December 17, 2019 [9 favorites]
I would be bothered too, but I think you've done everything that was within your power to do - you passed on your complaint via the "rate your visit" form. It looks like you wanted someone to get back in touch with you about that and ask you more questions and keep you updated, and I don't think that's going to happen - they may have a policy of not following up on complaints unless there's an actual active instance of "someone was injured as a result of what happened".
But I wouldn't take their silence as a sign of inattention. They may just have all the information they need from you and are taking it from there. Disciplinary actions are not always shared with the complaining party.
So in short - you were right to complain, but you may be wrong to expect that there's anything you can do or should do above and beyond what you have already done. The most I would do is mention it to the doctor who referred you to them so they know to double-check before sending people to that lab again; but beyond that I'd just let the established process do what the process does.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:16 AM on December 17, 2019 [9 favorites]
It does seem unprofessional, but I don't think I'd have been bothered as long as her attention was fully present for the parts of the visit where I needed to talk to her. I always have to direct phlebotomists to a specific location for a successful draw, and I'd have been irritated and insisted she stop if she were talking on the phone during that conversation and then went for the wrong part of my arm. But once we've been through all that, I don't think I've cared in the past when phlebotomists have been talking to other coworkers at the facility while taking my blood, so being on the phone doesn't seem terribly different. (FWIW, I am a bit of a hard stick, but not a drastically terrible one as long as they listen to me about where to draw from.)
I also think it's absolutely reasonable to be bothered and to leave the feedback on your survey. But that's as far as I'd take it in your shoes; they have a designated way for you to leave feedback, and you've done that. I would not expect a direct response unless you explicitly asked for one. You're not likely to ever find out the outcome of your feedback, and should probably just move on with letting your doctor know that you had a bad experience with that lab and would prefer to be referred elsewhere in future.
posted by Stacey at 5:22 AM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
I also think it's absolutely reasonable to be bothered and to leave the feedback on your survey. But that's as far as I'd take it in your shoes; they have a designated way for you to leave feedback, and you've done that. I would not expect a direct response unless you explicitly asked for one. You're not likely to ever find out the outcome of your feedback, and should probably just move on with letting your doctor know that you had a bad experience with that lab and would prefer to be referred elsewhere in future.
posted by Stacey at 5:22 AM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
We don’t let drivers talk on a cellphone.
I mean, we do. Hands-free chatting on a cell phone - which is what the phlebotomist was doing here - is very much allowed while driving.
posted by hepta at 6:08 AM on December 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
I mean, we do. Hands-free chatting on a cell phone - which is what the phlebotomist was doing here - is very much allowed while driving.
posted by hepta at 6:08 AM on December 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
Hard no on this being ok. I'm a difficult stick and slightly phobic about it. I have been stuck so often since 2015 that I couldn't possibly count them all. I have asked for/waited for different people if the one I'm assigned seems nervous or fumbles around at all. Cheerful chatting with a coworker or me wouldn't give me pause at all, but a phone call is right out. Also it probably was a HIPAA violation if she asked you to confirm your name or birthdate aloud, which literally always happens.
I do agree though that the time for action was in the moment. If she moved to touch me while talking on the phone, I would have withdrawn my arm and said "I'll wait for you to finish your call".
I disagree that what she earns or how hard it is to contact her employer informs your response at all.
Health care sucks and one of the ways it's worst is that you always have to firmly advocate for yourself against shitty care in the moment. I would definitely tell my doctor that I was not comfortable returning there for lab work and why.
posted by donnagirl at 6:17 AM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
I do agree though that the time for action was in the moment. If she moved to touch me while talking on the phone, I would have withdrawn my arm and said "I'll wait for you to finish your call".
I disagree that what she earns or how hard it is to contact her employer informs your response at all.
Health care sucks and one of the ways it's worst is that you always have to firmly advocate for yourself against shitty care in the moment. I would definitely tell my doctor that I was not comfortable returning there for lab work and why.
posted by donnagirl at 6:17 AM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
for one thing, being on the phone means that the patient is discouraged from engaging with the medical service provider who is treating them, for questions or input or anything else.
It's also flagrantly disrespectful of the patient (they're sitting there having needles stuck in them -- is it too much to ask that the provider at least give the job their attention for the two minutes it takes?!), a distraction hazard wrt the labeling among other things, and bizarrely unprofessional.
If you want to find this woman's boss, use linkedin.
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:18 AM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
It's also flagrantly disrespectful of the patient (they're sitting there having needles stuck in them -- is it too much to ask that the provider at least give the job their attention for the two minutes it takes?!), a distraction hazard wrt the labeling among other things, and bizarrely unprofessional.
If you want to find this woman's boss, use linkedin.
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:18 AM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
Not OK behavior.
It's just professionalism! I used to donate platelets, which requires a needle in each elbow for 90 minutes. Necessarily there's a lot of time spent chatting with the phlebotomists because you have time to kill and they want to make sure you're OK. But when the needles are going in, they shut up and get the job done. After enough visits I got to know the nurses and techs at the BWH Blood Bank really well -- one of them sent me a Christmas card again this year, even though I haven't been able to donate in 20+ years -- and we always laughed and joked a lot...but everyone pauses for a moment when the needles go in.
Your speaking up today reminds them that not every patient is brave, or big-veined, or immune to fainting -- and that every patient is entitled to their full concentration.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:34 AM on December 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
It's just professionalism! I used to donate platelets, which requires a needle in each elbow for 90 minutes. Necessarily there's a lot of time spent chatting with the phlebotomists because you have time to kill and they want to make sure you're OK. But when the needles are going in, they shut up and get the job done. After enough visits I got to know the nurses and techs at the BWH Blood Bank really well -- one of them sent me a Christmas card again this year, even though I haven't been able to donate in 20+ years -- and we always laughed and joked a lot...but everyone pauses for a moment when the needles go in.
Your speaking up today reminds them that not every patient is brave, or big-veined, or immune to fainting -- and that every patient is entitled to their full concentration.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:34 AM on December 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
...calling up a bunch of LabCorp numbers trying to find the right one feels like a desire to see her punished, rather than a desire for the behavior to stop.
I once got what seemed like an inappropriate prescription (high-powered antibiotic for a minor infection) from a nurse practitioner at a large national chain. I dug up the email address of the chain's medical director and emailed very politely about my experience, without naming the provider. The medical director agreed the prescription was inappropriate and said that she had sent a reminder about the issue to all staff.
If your goal is for the behavior to stop, reporting your experience to LabCorp management without naming the phlebotomist might (repeat, might) result in a similar outcome.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:43 AM on December 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
I once got what seemed like an inappropriate prescription (high-powered antibiotic for a minor infection) from a nurse practitioner at a large national chain. I dug up the email address of the chain's medical director and emailed very politely about my experience, without naming the provider. The medical director agreed the prescription was inappropriate and said that she had sent a reminder about the issue to all staff.
If your goal is for the behavior to stop, reporting your experience to LabCorp management without naming the phlebotomist might (repeat, might) result in a similar outcome.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:43 AM on December 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
This woman's behavior was appalling, and her career SHOULD be at risk over it. This isn't someone dicking around on the phone while staring at Metafilter at work. This is someone in charge of taking and correctly labeling and preparing for correct processing: blood, and all the attendant risks of incorrect results, mixing up labels, nerve damage, and freaking out people who are very nervous while having such a procedure done even under the best circumstances, let alone fraught situations for people who are worried about actual illness. I think this is a very big deal, and I hope it gets reported.
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 6:44 AM on December 17, 2019 [12 favorites]
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 6:44 AM on December 17, 2019 [12 favorites]
I work in a hospital and this would be considered appallingly inappropriate here. A lot of practices that are bad for safety continue because people are afraid to rock the boat. You don't want this to happen to someone else, right?
I would find a way to submit another written complaint. You don't really know who handles the Rate Your Visit survey and whether action is taken based on it, or whether they are just trying to outsource their management to numbers customers type into a web site.
I wouldn't bother with calling anyone on the phone, or with pursuing this further beyond another written complaint.
posted by grouse at 7:14 AM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
I would find a way to submit another written complaint. You don't really know who handles the Rate Your Visit survey and whether action is taken based on it, or whether they are just trying to outsource their management to numbers customers type into a web site.
I wouldn't bother with calling anyone on the phone, or with pursuing this further beyond another written complaint.
posted by grouse at 7:14 AM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Have you considered calling the office which referred you to this lab for blood work? I would absolutely tell my doctor's office that the lab they sent me to for blood work made me uncomfortable (and this would make me uncomfortable).
posted by crush at 7:36 AM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by crush at 7:36 AM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Hands-free chatting on a cell phone - which is what the phlebotomist was doing here - is very much allowed while driving.
It still significantly increases the risk of driving. As a matter of fact, NYC taxi drivers are banned from doing so (though they often ignore the ban).
posted by praemunire at 8:01 AM on December 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
It still significantly increases the risk of driving. As a matter of fact, NYC taxi drivers are banned from doing so (though they often ignore the ban).
posted by praemunire at 8:01 AM on December 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Just a data point here: My primary care doctor once referred me to a specialist, who ended up providing substandard care. I later politely complained to my primary care doctor. He took my complaint seriously and hinted that other patients were unhappy, as well. He seemed to appreciate the feedback. So if I were you, I would tell the referring doctor. Also, here's an article that you might find relevant here: "Distractions and Multitasking Lead to Medical Errors"
posted by JD Sockinger at 8:04 AM on December 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by JD Sockinger at 8:04 AM on December 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
I agree with the folks saying that it’s unprofessional and potentially dangerous. Phones are distracting AS HELL. I’m a nanny for a young boy, and if I were to cross a busy street with him (which we do every day after school) while on the phone, you bet I’d be distracted and not giving him or the traffic my full attention. When you’re dealing with the safety of another person at work, IMO your full attention is required.
posted by sucre at 8:40 AM on December 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by sucre at 8:40 AM on December 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
I don't think she should be fired for this. Is it unprofessional? Yes. Is it normal to feel uncomfortable over it? Yes. Is it a HIPAA violation? Maybe. Could she make a mistake? Yes. (She might also make mistakes regardless.) But this is LabCorp we're talking about here. That business is horribly run and I bet you anything that her co-workers and supervisor already know about the behaviour if not engage in it themselves. So regardless of how you proceed, you probably won't be happy with the outcome you get. And there really is no good reason to fire her. She can stop the behaviour easily, if the people around her care enough to enforce a new policy. But they probably don't.
posted by erattacorrige at 9:35 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by erattacorrige at 9:35 AM on December 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Physician here. It's not a HIPAA violation -- unless she was giving them your name/date of birth or medical information.
Talking about someone's PHI where someone else can hear (phlebotomist might ask the patient to say her name and birth date, and the fact that they're receiving medical treatment is obvious, which the phone conversation person could possibly hear, conversations in an elevator, etc.) probably violates LabCorp's HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures. HIPAA requires safeguarding PHI, so while talking on the phone while treating a patient isn't a listed HIPAA violation, OCR does look at whether covered entities followed their policies and procedures, and talking on the phone while treating a patient would definitely be scrutinized.
I get it, covered entities (docs, nurses, etc.) talk about patients where other folks can hear them all the time (last name, diagnosis, treatment plan, hand-off information). It doesn't mean that those aren't potential HIPAA violations.
posted by Pax at 6:02 PM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Talking about someone's PHI where someone else can hear (phlebotomist might ask the patient to say her name and birth date, and the fact that they're receiving medical treatment is obvious, which the phone conversation person could possibly hear, conversations in an elevator, etc.) probably violates LabCorp's HIPAA privacy and security policies and procedures. HIPAA requires safeguarding PHI, so while talking on the phone while treating a patient isn't a listed HIPAA violation, OCR does look at whether covered entities followed their policies and procedures, and talking on the phone while treating a patient would definitely be scrutinized.
I get it, covered entities (docs, nurses, etc.) talk about patients where other folks can hear them all the time (last name, diagnosis, treatment plan, hand-off information). It doesn't mean that those aren't potential HIPAA violations.
posted by Pax at 6:02 PM on December 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
A friend is a blood bank medical director. I mentioned this to her and she was horrified and then went on to tell me about several cases where people died because blood samples were mislabeled.
posted by grouse at 6:13 PM on December 17, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by grouse at 6:13 PM on December 17, 2019 [7 favorites]
Former Laboratory Supervisor here. If I had caught one of my employees doing this they would have been out of a job. When collecting samples of any kind all attention needs to focused on the task at hand.
posted by bjgeiger at 10:15 PM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by bjgeiger at 10:15 PM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
for one thing, being on the phone means that the patient is discouraged from engaging with the medical service provider who is treating them, for questions or input or anything else
yeah, everyone who's taking such umbrage on this woman's behalf and belittling the idea that it could matter any more than talking while driving matters has never had to say That hurts, stop, I said please stop, STOP, while the person you're speaking to doesn't stop, because they can't hear you and the voice they're listening to isn't yours.
the person whose flesh you're burying a sharp point inside is the person who gets most of your attention until the needle's out. if this is too burdensome a rule to follow, no, it is not too much to ask that you get a different fucking job.
posted by queenofbithynia at 11:20 PM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
yeah, everyone who's taking such umbrage on this woman's behalf and belittling the idea that it could matter any more than talking while driving matters has never had to say That hurts, stop, I said please stop, STOP, while the person you're speaking to doesn't stop, because they can't hear you and the voice they're listening to isn't yours.
the person whose flesh you're burying a sharp point inside is the person who gets most of your attention until the needle's out. if this is too burdensome a rule to follow, no, it is not too much to ask that you get a different fucking job.
posted by queenofbithynia at 11:20 PM on December 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:27 PM on December 16, 2019 [3 favorites]