Get this. This morning my wife got a call from the county health department. They wanted to speak to a Janet (not our last name). Someone had reported being bitten by a cat, and gave them our our address and phone number, together with a presumably phony name. And we don't have a cat. Haven't for 25 years.
My wife straightened them out, then 2 hours later a county animal control officer was in our driveway, wanting to "take our cat into custody". Sheesh, red state bureaucrats are morons.
Oh, this gets funnier and funnier. I had my wife give me the phone number of the health department guy who called her initially. I called him and we discussed it. It turns out that the REPORT and associated information (the name, our address, and my wife's phone number) came from the local hospital...reporting an animal bite.
The same hospital that my wife spent most of her weekend in (ER and ICU) due to pneumonia and a UTI.
WTF? Anyway, the guy apologized nicely.
@TwiHusband That is so weird.
@misslovelymess You better believe it. I sense a HIPAA violation.
@Smccune55 He doesn't have a cat. Someone reported false information.
@misslovelymess @TwiHusband
I know that! It doesn’t change the fact that the hospital is required to report. It’s not their job to in
@misslovelymess @TwiHusband
Investigate, that’s up to the health department.
@Smccune55 It is certainly their job not to confuse patient information. Come. on.
@misslovelymess @TwiHusband
How did they confuse patient information? They took the information they were given, and reported it. Do you actually think the ER staff have the time to try to track down the person named, or call/ go to their house to see if they have a cat? Ridiculous.
@Smccune55 Sorry to disabuse your righteousness, but we don't have a cat. The last cat in this house was euthanized a year before I married my wife, and the name attached to the report has NEVER been associated with this address or my wife's phone number. And this is the same hospital that my wife spent most of this past weekend in (ER and ICU) for a health crisis.
@TwiHusband
What are you talking about? The hospital obviously used the only information they had, to attempt to comply with the law. I have no idea what you mean by “my righteousness”? I mearly said what the law is, and it was in response to another’s comment, not yours. JFC, climb down off your giant horsey.
@TwiHusband I believe she was saying that when an animal bite occurs it is a mandatory reportable event so it sounds like the name of the person bitten was somehow switched (or an incorrect address) with your wife’s information.
I think it’s crazy that after your wife talked to them they still ent someone to pick up the non-existent cat. That seems very annoying.
Hope your wife is on the mend
@Thumprhare @TwiHusband
Exactly. I was a hospital nurse for 42 years, I know what I’m talking about.
@Smccune55 So you remember how easy it is for documentation to get messed up in an overworked busy ER?
That’s what they were trying to say. Something got messed up, their info was given for something that didn’t make sense.
Yes I do. And the ER went by the information they were given. How was the ER supposed to know it was wrong? @yogapaddlerun
@Smccune55 They did not claim the ER knowingly gave wrong info, just that they did.
@Smccune55 The rest has been pretty uncomfortable to watch.
@yogapaddlerun
Exactly. So why are they mad at the ER?
@Smccune55 They were confused by it. And inconvenienced twice by it. Expressed their frustrations to get jumped on by you.
@yogapaddlerun
No, they jumped on me for simply saying it wasn’t a hipaa violation because the hospital is a mandatory reporter.
@Smccune55 Honestly, I see it differently. But I see that your not willing to reconsider how your behavior wasn’t helpful, so I’m out.
@yogapaddlerun
My behavior? Go back and read it. FFS.
@yogapaddlerun
I can’t tell you how disappointed I am with the hatred that’s been expressed towards me for simply saying that it wasn’t a hipaa violation because the hospital is a mandatory reporter. I think the election outcome has turned some of you into crazy people looking for a grievance.
@Smccune55 And this…was totally uncalled for.
@yogapaddlerun
Everything I’ve experienced has been totally uncalled for. All because I correctly said that it wasn’t a hipaa violation because the hospital is a mandated reporter.
@Smccune55 I did read it. And care enough about you to try and help you see how your statement was not helpful.
This reaction is EXACTLY why people are acting the way they did.
Yes, there wasn’t a HIPAA violation, but the relevant info you could have added from your 42 years of experience as a nurse was that mistakes happen when filling out paperwork, no health info should have been given to law enforcement, and advice to call the hospital to let them know.
@yogapaddlerun
I was responding to one specific statement, that what happened was a hipaa violation. Plenty of other people had already chimed in on the other stuff. Is it now a requirement on coso that any post must be comprehensive and address every nuance? I think not. From what I understand, there was no mistake in filing out paperwork. The hospital was given bad information. No hipaa violation.
@TwiHusband @misslovelymess
No, animal bites are a mandatory report for hospitals. They have to be followed up for rabies.