Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 - (Page 20)

NOTE WORTHY DROP THAT TEMPURA What would you do if your boss approached you, tape measure in hand, with the goal of measuring your waistline and then reporting said measurement to the federal government? It’s happening in Japan. The government there has launched a nationwide campaign to whittle the waists of its 40- to 74-year-old citizenry. Companies and local governments must meet speciﬁc targets to help the country decrease its collective poundage — 10 percent lighter by 2012 and 25 percent by 2015 — or face penalties. The Ministry of Health claims that losing weight will combat the spread of diseases such as diabetes and stroke. Sure, but obesity isn’t really a big problem in Japan compared to, say, the United States. In fact, far more Japanese citizens are endangering themselves by what they inhale than by what they eat — cigarette smoking rates are at 30 percent (44 percent in men), while only about 3.5 percent of the country is obese, and that includes, we presume, sumo wrestlers. Yet the government there isn’t trying to compel its citizens to take nicotine tests. SO MUCH FOR PRIVACY Some employers, it seems, are asking job applicants to waive their right to medical privacy as a condition of being considered for employment. To wit, the waiver below, obtained by a newspaper reporter in North Carolina, is apparently being given to applicants of a large employer there: “I, (applicant), hereby authorize and permit the release to any authorized representative of (employer) any and all records in your possession pertaining to me, including but not limited to the following: credit information and records; bank account records; criminal and arrest records; medical records; employment information, including wages and beneﬁts; driving records and accident or incident reports.” It’s nothing new or improper that employers are investigating prospects’ credit and ﬁnancial information, as this helps indicate a person’s level of maturity. But their medical records? That got us wondering: If you received such a waiver from Company X, signed by your patient, would you indeed turn over the patient’s records? 20 | PHYSICIANS PRACTICE | JULY/AUGUST 2008 WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM http://WWW.PHYSICIANSPRACTICE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008 Contents The Bigger Picture: Battle Royale in the EMR Market Letters Physicians Practice Pearls: Hire Right Noteworthy Cover Story: Healthcare Reform: Voting for Change Patient Relations: Dealing with Problem Patients The tech Doctor: Is Self-Service Medicine Inevitable? Technology: Do EMRs Make You a Better Doctor? The Guide Idealab: Cash-Only Care Still Works The Administrators Desk: Who’s in Charge? Ask The Experts What Went Wrong: ‘Why Our Great Idea Didn’t Work’ Coding Start It Up: How to Launch a Practice: Operations Partnership: Don't Let Partner Conflict Destroy Your Practice Appraisals: What’s Your Practice Worth? Getting Advice: How to Hire a Consultant Classifieds Advertiser Index

Physicians Practice - July/August 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.