Irate customer over the Bloodmobile on his street

[greensinestro]

I give blood at least twice a year, and I think this incident would fall under sucky customers, or might fall under an entirely different category, depending on your point of view. A while back, I was sitting in the chair, and the nurse was talking to me while being stuck in the arm. Youch! Anyhow, we were talking about the first time I gave, it was because my mother had a hysterectomy, and I wanted to donate just in case she needed a transfusion. The nurse thought that was generous, then told me about the guy she had a few days before who bitched and moaned about the Bloodmobile parked on his street. He actually barged into the Bloodmobile, and was yelling at the nurses for parking "that ugly, unattractive thing on his street" and demanded that it be moved at once. This nurse calmly explained that they were there for a reason and would not move because he was upset with where it was parked. This nurse then watched the man leave and go to his house. She then decided to look this man up, and found he was 60 years old, and had only given blood once in his entire life. The reason he did was for an AIDS test, nothing more. Later on, he came back to complain about the fact that they did not move that horrible vehicle at his demand. This same nurse was still there, and she told him how inhuman and ungrateful he is wanting us to move a vehicle that was there for a good cause, plus the fact that he's never donated blood for anyone in need of it, and all he's ever been there to do was have an AIDS test done. He never came back after that, and the Bloodmobile was there another two days before departing.

[Mildew]

Are blood donation centers subject to HIPAA?

[Argabarga]

People like that amaze me, the truely can't think beyond themsevles, not even 1 inch beyond thier yard or even 1 second down the road. If it annoys them, then it must stop, immediately, and no excuse is good enough.... they strike me as the kind of people who would berate firefighters for stepping on thier flower beds while putting out thier burning house.....

[ShoresKoC]

Forget the guy, the nurse was the jerk.

I would think that the bloodmobile annoucing in public that the gentleman had had an AIDS test would be a violation of standards, not to mention rude as hell. Whether he has or has not donated and his reasons for doing so are his own damn business, not the nurses' and certainly not the OPs (saying she had no right to tell you, not criticizing you). Maybe he has a massive fear of needles, maybe he's anemic, whether he's being a jerk or not, the nurse was being FAR suckier in my opinion.

[protege]

Ugh. that guy sounds like one of my former neighbors. They're a bit "protective" of their property. Just last year, part of our street was torn up for sewer repairs....and one of the township trucks was parked in front of their house. Predictably, they got pissed and complained about it. Township told them it was a public street, and if they didn't like it...too damn bad Would they rather have a truck sitting there a few days...or sewage in their front yard?

[Ciarrai]

What a jerk. Gotta love the irrational older folks.
However, I can't really fault the guy for not ever giving blood. I never have, though I'm actually not able to under the Canadian Blood Services regulations. Even if I could though, I don't know that I would unless it was for a specific person.

[M_Sinistrari]

Are blood donation centers subject to HIPAA?

I believe so, but as long as nothing specifically identifying's given out it's the same as sharing work grief stories.

[trunks2k]

Are blood donation centers subject to HIPAA?

I would assume so since they ask medical questions before taking blood as well as test your blood for various diseases.

[trunks2k]

I believe so, but as long as nothing specifically identifying's given out it's the same as sharing work grief stories.

Yeah, but in terms of the nurse, she had no medical reason to go and look up his information. So that would probably be an issue right there. Plus she announced it in public when the event occured. I agree with the earlier poster who said that while the guy may have been a real jerk, the nurse was being much worse.

[Rapscallion]

I believe so, but as long as nothing specifically identifying's given out it's the same as sharing work grief stories.

Exactly what I was thinking. If the patient is not identifiable in any way - old guy covers a huge number of people - then I don't know that it's any worse than a guy who hadn't bathed in a month came into line and made all the customers gag.

Anyone with more knowledge of that law able to shed any light on it?

Rapscallion

[friendofjimmyk]

Sorry. But what the nurse did was unethical. Yes, I know she did not identify the person by name, but if this story is accurate, she also lied. AIDS is a HIGHLY confidential test that would be between the patient and their doctor only. To simply "look someone up" will not produce the fact that they had themselves tested for AIDS - because the test is THAT confidential. It would not be in any medical file unless released by the patient with express written consent.

[Luckymom]

As for HIPAA laws I believe that as long as the statement cannot be connected to a certain person it is ok. I used to tell my hubby about all the cranky parents we got in the Urology clinic. But cranky mom or dad covers a heck of a lot of people. In other words you can tell people about the crabby old man who threw a fit because his grandson had to have a catheter. There is no way to tell who he or his grandson is.

I don't think the nurse is allowed to look in anyones records unless she is doing a medical service on them though. Thats why you sign off on all that HIPAA paperwok when you enter a new doctors office. Now if he came to her office and her medical practice had records on him she could then look in the records, because technically he is a patient there.

It's all very convoluted and confusing.

Here's the wiki link to HIPAA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_...untability_Act

[friendofjimmyk]

Damn, y'all!!! In one of my classes we discussed the HIPPA in class this week - it's in my textbook, but that is at home. I'll have to scope it out when I get home and see what the text says.

I know, I studied it just this week and I can't recall the ins and outs of it.

[Reyneth]

....but you can't donate blood with the Red Cross Drives specifically for an AIDS test. They test all donations for the AIDS virus but that's as a safety precaution to the recipients. It is not a service to the donors. So if he donated blood, even once, it should've been the full donation amount and there would have been nothing to distinguish it from any other donation. The Red Cross doesn't just do free AIDS tests.

[greensinestro]

Everyone is correct about this nurse violating a trust with medical information. I was not trying to defend what she did was right. I was simply stating something else on how unkind this man was with a vehicle parked on "his street". Yes, this would be like my doctor sharing information about my colonoscopy (not that I've had one) and how badly I treated her in the operating room.