The majority of medical providers take HIPA seriously. One of the things HIPA doesn't allow is communicating via e-mail. My primary is a friend and we use e-mail at times, but has told me to never, ever talk about anything medical via e-mail, not even to check on an appt. time that I only "think" I heard as a certain time and day. HIPA is also responsible for it being impossible to find out what's happening with someone close to you if they haven't filled out a form listing you as a person that can know. It's really frustrating when your spouse is being treated by a doc you don't know, a specialist that his regular specialist referred him to...and no one asked him to complete the form that would allow you to be told what's happening. Grrrr! It's all about confidentiality, although, for the life of me, I can't understand what's confidential about the date and time of your next appt.

When I visited a big metro-area hearing clinic that specializes in doing CIs, I quickly learned that no one there takes the trouble to face you while speaking and the nurse that comes out to, as Tony says, blurt out a name, stands in the doorway facing a room full of people who can't hear and mumbles a name. Sheesh! Wouldn't you think that a hearing clinic would be smarter than that?