Letter: Forms at doctors’ offices a problem

The medical industry has been fixated on knowing every patient’s Social Security number for as long as I can remember, and it annoys me every time I see a new medical provider. It’s not that I don’t want to supply the data, which is required; it’s how they want it provided.

Using a pen to fill out six pages of personal data on a form downloaded from the internet before you see the doctor is ridiculous in this day and age. I have few secrets in this life, but my Social Security number, insurance policy numbers and my complete medical history, including medications, are some of them.

How do I know who’s reading this information as it is given to another employee to copy and file in who knows how many places? Who knows that an unknown temporary employee or unvetted receptionist doesn’t steal the data and sell it to criminals?

The electronic questionnaires should be completed and returned via the internet using encryption that can only be read by one or two people who are cleared to handle classified information. It should work like an order placed on the internet that has credit card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes. This is no longer rocket science, and once implemented would save time and money.

When the patient is unable to respond by email, he or she should arrive early at the appointment and a trained, vetted, full-time employee should enter the information electronically. Bookkeeping procedures in hospitals and doctor’s offices are decades out of date.

This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Letter: Forms at doctors’ offices a problem."