I was active in the healthcare compliance industry in 2003 when the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), enacted by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, was first enforced. I spent months of time and loads of money helping to train administrative and clinical staff regarding HIPAA requirements. It couldn't be stressed enough that Protected Health Information (PHI) was to be obscured from the public view at all times.
Today, it is commonplace for everyone in the healthcare profession to safeguard names, addresses, license plate numbers, prescriptions, diagnosis, etc. Doctors can't even leave telephone messages on their patients' answering machines that reveal PHI.
So why is it that calls to 911 can be broadcast for all the world to hear? Recently, actress Demi Moore required medical treatment and the services of 911 were used to request an ambulance at her home. It turns out that the "illness" which prompted the emergency call was of an unusual nature and the result of questionable judgement (She smoked "something"), but why does that matter? Why was the call released to the media? There is no logical reason.
It doesn't matter. Calls to 911 are not protected by HIPAA. Written transcripts of 911 calls are accessible under the Freedom of Information Act and anyone with a police scanner can hear the calls, live, as they're dispatched to emergency personnel. Recordings and transcripts of calls to 911 can be of great importance in solving crimes and convicting criminals (i.e. Dr. Conrad Murray) but should these calls should be made public as a matter of standard practice?
I wonder ... is it just a matter of time before people stop using the service for fear that their emergency will be broadcast on the news and across the internet within a matter of hours?
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