Health information and medical records reveal some of the most intimate aspects of an individual’s life. In addition to diagnostic and testing information, the medical record includes the details of a person’s family history, genetic testing, history of diseases and treatments, history of drug use, sexual orientation and practices, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Subjective remarks about a patient’s demeanor, character, and mental state are sometimes a part of the record.

The medical record is also the primary source for much of the health care information sought by parties outside the direct health care delivery relationship. These data are important because health care information can influence decisions about an individual’s access to credit, admission to educational institutions, and his or her ability to secure employment and obtain insurance. Inaccuracies in the information, or its improper disclosure, can deny an individual access to these basic necessities of life, and can threaten an individual’s personal and financial well- being.

Privacy

A major concern is adequate confidentiality of the individual records being managed electronically. According to the LA Times, roughly 150 people (from doctors and nurses to technicians and billing clerks) have access to at least part of a patient’s records during a hospitalization, and 600,000 payers, providers and other entities that handle providers’ billing data have some access. Multiple access points over an open network like the Internet increases possible patient data interception. In the United States, this class of information is referred to as Protected Health Information (PHI) and its management is addressed under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as many local laws. The organizations and individuals charged with the management of this information are required to ensure adequate protection is provided and that access to the information is only by authorized parties. The growth of EHR (electronic health records), creates new issues, since electronic data may be physically much more difficult to secure, as lapses in data security are increasingly being reported. Information security practices have been established for computer networks, but technologies like wireless computer networks offer new challenges as well.

A related concern is the potential privacy risk posed by interoperability. One of the most vocal critics of EMRs (electronic medical records), New York University Professor Jacob M. Appel, has claimed that the number of people who will need to have access to such a truly interoperable national system, which he estimates to be 12 million, will inevitable lead to breaches of privacy on a massive scale. Appel has written that while “hospitals keep careful tabs on who accesses the charts of VIP patients,” they are powerless to act against “a meddlesome pharmacist in Alaska” who “looks up the urine toxicology on his daughter’s fiance in Florida, to check if the fellow has a cocaine habit.”

Hi Guys,

Just wanted to drop a line and let you know that I am on top of the world two weeks after the procedure. I promise you I did not see that light at the end of the tunnel the day of or the next few days. Each day got better and better! I can’t express my appreciation for everything you guys did for me. Dave is a complete sweet heart with a bit of a crazy side in a funny way. He really made me feel comfortable (even though he blew my veins and popped me with a needle scratch down my leg) and he is an awesome guy! I’m just trying to give him a hard time. I took to him more than anyone else, so that is the reason for the humor. Just let him know how thankful I am for all he did.

I really hope Melanie decided to stay. She seems to be a very ambitious, accomplished individual. I really believe she would be an exceptional addition to the team. Please let her know I thank her and I hope she is doing well. Gary was a saint and so was Mrs. Jeannie, Mrs. Shirley and the secretary up front. I can’t begin to tell you how they made this transition so easy for me. Without them I’d be seriously ill with withdrawals.  It couldn’t have been done without the entire staff at Rapid DD. It’s not every day that exceptional people step into your life and change it for the better. All of you guys have done that for me. YOU ALL HAVE GIVEN ME MY SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE!! I just wanted you to know how much I have appreciated this experience and I will always, always remember what you have done for me. Please take care and I pray others will strive to change theirs lives in the same manner I have with your program.

Tami, Georgia

Dear Jeanne,

During this Thanksgiving time when we reflect on what is so good in our lives and our blessings, one of the first things that came to both our minds this year is you….and the Doctors, Shirley, Quang, David, Alan, Dr. Hatcher and the rest of the gang at your facility.

Tom went through the anesthesia drug detox program this past April.  If you recall, Tom (51 year old) presented to your facility with several years of 800 mg/day of OxyContin and periodic use of percocet for break through chronic back pain.  He was at a point where the side effects of the opiates were harder to deal with…along with the addiction to want more….than the pain itself.  Tom searched on ways to detox from this horrible medication and decided the rapid detox procedure was the way to go, and after speaking with you, chose Rapid Drug Detox to be the place.  You were so helpful…each time we called, and we called a lot!  Tom is a whole different person…the person he use to be.  There are no words to thank you for this.  His back pain is manageable and the side effects he usually dealt with are no longer an issue.  Our friends and family have seen a transformation in him too.

As Tom has mentioned to others who have called him for his experience, this is the best thing he could have done….not only for himself but for the me and the rest of the family.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday season and keep up the great work!
Joann

Tags: OxyContin Detox, Rapid Drug Detox, Drug Detox Program

JS Online: Survey shows rise in baby boomers’ illicit drug use

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel comes an article about the rise in drug use among baby boomers. Drug use among baby boomers rose 4.1% in 2007, states the article.

Other interesting facts from the article include:

• “Among boomers aged 50 to 54, illicit drug use increased from 3.4% in 2002 to 5.7% in 2007”
• Boomers aged 55 to 59 showed a significant increase in illicit drug use over a five-year period

Interestingly, while illicit drug use in baby boomers increased, drug use among those aged 12 to 17 actually decreased during the 5 years the study was done.

To read more about this survey, please visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Prescription opioids in home put children at risk – Yahoo! News

Keeping up with the theme of children and teens being overexposed to prescription drugs in the home, an article from Yahoo! News surfaces that touches upon research that shows that opioids in the home are putting children at a greater risk than previously thought. Don’t let your child become the next opiate detox patient .

Some facts from the article:

• The number of deaths due to poisonings with [prescription medications] nearly doubled between 1999 and 2002
• Among the 9,179 children for whom opioid exposures had been reported to RADARS (Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance), 8 died, while 43 suffered serious effects. The children ranged in age from newborn to 5.5 years old, while most were 2 years old. Ninety-nine percent of the children ingested the drug; 92 percent of cases occurred in the child’s home; and 6 percent took place in another person’s home, suggesting that opioids were discovered during toddlers’ exploration of their environment

To read more about the Opioid findings, read Yahoo! News.

Did you know: The Drug Enforcement Agency has found that prescription drugs are the fastest growing drug trend in America today. Is your teen in danger of becoming grouped in that statistic?

Pharma Parties: A Definition

There’s no doubt that teenagers are easily influenced, but new indications are pointing to a disturbing trend in which teens steal prescription drugs from their parents’ medicine cabinets and create “prescription cocktails” that can be shared with friends at parties. Prescription medications such as Xanax®, OxyContin®, and Ambien® are some of the popular name brand pills that teenagers look for when raiding their household medicine cabinets.

Pharma Parties: Is Your Teen Participating?

Since prescription medications can be prescribed for a number of reasons and aren’t always taken on a regular basis, it can be easy for a teenager to take one or two pills from each medicine bottle without anyone noticing. If a household has sleeping prescriptions and cough medicines that are only used every few months, it’s simple to not notice that extra pills have gone missing. Mixing prescriptions together can lead to drug abuse and addiction, though, so it’s important to keep track of all of the medicines located within your home.

On top of looking out for any unusual behaviors, parents should also keep prescription medicines in an attended area where quantities can be monitored. If you aren’t using a certain prescription anymore, dispose of it immediately.

A new trend is emerging that is leaving drug addicts that set out seeking treatment in worse conditions then they were before they started treatment: doctors prescribing opiates as a solution for drug addiction treatment.

What is Buprenorphine Treatment

Methadone and OxyContin have been trendy methods of Drug Addiction Treatment for the past few years. These “treatment” methods call for heroin addicts to be placed on a prescription drug of Methadone or OxyContin in order to lessen withdrawal and craving effects associated with abruptly stopping drug usage. What happens, however, is that dosages of Methadone need to be steadily increased in order to get the full effect of the drug, ultimately reaching the point where drug addicts become addicted to the treatment drug. The addiction to the treatment opiates then leads to illegal means of acquiring those prescription drugs.

Buprenorphine Treatment is a similar “treatment method” to Methadone and OxyContin. With Buprenorphine, drug addicts are prescribed orange pills which dissolve under the tongue in order to relieve addicts’ cravings for narcotics. The thing to remember, though, is that Buprenorphine is an opiate.

Buprenorphine Treatment Abuse

In recent months, Burprenorphine has become one of the most popular and requested street drugs, mostly by drug addicts who were prescribed the opiate as a treatment option and now need a higher dosage than their doctor will prescribe.

Health officials have seen patients crushing and injecting Buprenorphine pills, eventually leading to overdose and relapse situations. A recent report by The Sun investigated abuse of the drug, which included illegal street sales.

Explore Your Treatment Options

If you or someone you care about has made the decision to seek drug addiction treatment, please research all of your options before deciding on which treatment is best for you. Realizing that your body can easily become addicted to drugs – even opiate drugs that are being prescribed by doctors – early in the research process will help ensure a successful treatment journey. Don’t trade one bad habit for another!

For the first time in 5 years, Denise is free, sober, clean, clear, and happy. After struggling with an opiate addiction she tried to get clean using subutex and soboxone, only to become addicted to them as well. After treatment, now Denise says, “I feel as though I have finally been released from my personal prison of using.”

Read More About Denise’s Story and Experience…

According to a National Survey (2006), almost half of the American public knows a friend or family member with a pain killer addiction. Furthermore, the majority of them are not aware that what they are really addicted to is an opiate. This makes pain killer abuse equal to that of a heroin addiction.

Heroin is a semi-synthetic opioid created from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. This opioid compound acts the same way as endorphins by creating a feeling of happiness, well-being, and euphoria. The similarity of heroin addiction to pain killer addiction lies here, in the opiates contained in these substances. Because opiates are addictive substances, the misuse and abuse of pain killers very often leads to a serious addiction.

Although many take opiate based drugs as pain killers, the start of an opiate addiction may be psychological. Individuals may think that by taking their pain killers they can have a better day or become less stressed. Such careless use of these drugs comes with a high price, both substances, will lead you to dependence, tolerance and withdrawal stages. More often than not, a pain killer addiction leads into the use of heroin.

Withdrawal symptoms for these addictions may appear at different time intervals, but the results are the same. They both include vomiting, shaking, stomach pain, depression, suicidal thoughts, horrible cramps, aching bones, restlessness, insomnia lasting days to weeks, runny nose, loss of appetite and sweating.

The recreational use and abuse of pain killers is not to be taken lightly. The dangers of an opiate class drug are very apparent and proven. It is important that you are educated on the dependency of opiates should a doctor prescribe them, use as directed and with caution. Seek the advice of a professional if you start to experience withdrawal symptoms or suspect an abuse problem.

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Recent studies have shown that heroin use is growing in New York City as an increased amount of the opiate is smuggled into the city. In fact, drug treatment center admissions for heroin addiction outnumber all other drugs in the city.

The rise in heroin use in New York tells a chilling tale of drug use nationwide. SAMHSA (The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) reported a nationwide rise in heroin users from 136,000 in 2005 to 338,000 in 2006. All of this while abuse of prescription opiates such as Methadone, OxyContin and Vicodin also continues to rise nationwide. These latest number prove that opiate abuse and addiction continue to be a major problem in America and a problem not easily solved.

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