Privacy

[Vync]

In one of my recent visits, I noticed that the nurses would triage multiple patients at once. They call you in from the waiting room, two or three at a time. The triage room was setup with two or three computers (with those cheap privacy screens on the monitors), a single set of scales, and a couple of blood pressure units. The nurse asks you all sorts of personal questions, including your full SSN, and also asks why you are there today. By then end of the triage session, I know the name, full SSN, weight, blood pressure, and primary complaint of everyone else in the room, regardless of male or female.

This just sounds wrong to me...

Anyone else experience this?

[LarryJ]

In one of my recent visits, I noticed that the nurses would triage multiple patients at once. They call you in from the waiting room, two or three at a time. The triage room was setup with two or three computers (with those cheap privacy screens on the monitors), a single set of scales, and a couple of blood pressure units. The nurse asks you all sorts of personal questions, including your full SSN, and also asks why you are there today. By then end of the triage session, I know the name, full SSN, weight, blood pressure, and primary complaint of everyone else in the room, regardless of male or female.

This just sounds wrong to me...

Anyone else experience this?

Yup, they tried that crap with me. Didn't work. I spent too many years working around hospitals, too many years with HIPPA, etc. (heck, I was in charge of making sure that all the hospital employees were "up to date" on patient privacy, before the Joint Commission came around, "inspectin'".

Like I said, the VA tried that "triage" stuff on me..........I was escorted into the "triage" room, took one look and went back out to the waiting room.....with a nurse trailing along behind asking me what was wrong...............I 'splained it to her.........in front of the other 3 patients who were sitting there, much like a small herd of cattle.

I was taken care of, privately. They tried telling me how much more efficient it was to deal with more than one person at a time........I told them that I was really not interested in their convenience.......that that was not what they were there for, but that I'd be okay with the multi-person "triage thing", if the nurses wouldn't mind giving me their names, etc., so that I would know who to hold responsible for my identity theft, should it occur.

I know, I know, I'm a butth*le, but, I've worked hard to be this way, and I so enjoy it!

[carlie]

Ditto on Larry.

carlie

[john999]

Yep, that is what they did at my VAMC lab yesterday. They get four vets in the blood draw room and ask your your full name and SSA number in front of other vets. I was thinking the same thing that this is a violation of HIPPA. The VA is a federal agency and they disrespect HIPPA. They disrespect us, vets. My VAMC has that whole county jail in-take atmosphere. They process bodies, and do not serve people.

[carlie]

Perhaps the triage units should look more like this

and perhaps we could take a poll on which of these

VA could select, to begin branding us with

[Vync]

John,

That's the same way they do it at the Birmingham VA hospital! Half the room is waiting chairs. They open a fake partition door and escort you to a chair where you sitt not more than arm's reach from the next patient. They asked me for me full name and SSA number in front of other people. This is a clear HIPPA violation! Why the hell does the VA give us an ID card if they do not use it?

Carlie,

That's how the Birmingham VA hospital looked before they put brick facing on the outside! The smell never quite went away.