Salt Lake Tribune | 2003-04-06 | Page 19

p UTAH The Salt ake Tribune ++ SUNDAY Aprit 6, minds at We ber State BA SCIENCE OLYMPIAD:Teens challenge t! 2008 WWWSUTRIE.COM LDS Missionary Wor Continues, Leaders Say Patients’ Privacy Bolstered Sweeping changes: Law that debutsnext weekwill limit access to people’s medical records and what informationcanbe shared Brothers MayBe on Utah Ballot All in the family: Scott Matheson Jr. may join his sibling, Jim Matheson, in thepolitical arena in 04 By BRANDON GriGGs The Salt Lake Tribune Beginning April 14, Utah pa- tients and their loved ones will By Pau, Routy notice sweeping changesin a federal health privacy lawthat, in many cases, will limit public access to patients’ medical records. The Salt Lake Tribune Utahns may have two Mathe- sonsonthe ballot in 2004. State Democratic Chair Wantto send flowers to Aunt Betty in the hospital? Unless she signed a privacy waiver upon admittance, hospital officials won't tell you her room numberor even gathering of Utah Democratic women Saturday that Scott confirmsheis there. Looking for your neighbor’s birth announcement in the newspaper? Unless riously considering” runningfor woman surgery but don’t want anyone — having brothers runningfor ma: jor offices at the same time. She said the party’s research indi cates voters would accept two ‘Au Hatersann/The Salt Lake Tribune The congregation sings along with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the morning session of LDS General Conference on Saturday. medical regulation since Congress estab- General Conference: Membersaretoldthat as lished Medicarein 1965. “Tt affects every elementof a church grows,they need to help nurture converts and assist in sharing the gospel with love patient's stay in a hospital,” says Jess Gomez, spokesman for the four Intermountain Health Care hospitals in the Salt Lake Valley. By Peaey FLercner STACK “It’s made us look at all avenues of how médical-informationis age, HIPAA was enacted to streamline medical billing by standardizing ithe electronic codes that doctors and hospitals use to track health care and process insuranceclaims. By Oct. 16, every health-care providerin the nation will be requiredto use the same computer codes, aliowing hospitals and clinics to more easily share electronic data about patients. The Department Because it had a “compelling forts, said church President GordonB. Hinckley on Satur- million member LDS church said. Whilereferring to a trou- responsibility to protect the immediate environs oftheSalt Lake Temple,” which is across continue to grow across the world,” Hinckley told more than 20,000 people gathered in the Conference Center in downtownSalt Lake City and millions more watch: ing via satellite. “Our mission: ary work goeson without seri ous impediment.” As converts flood into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hinckley patient privacy. So they amended HIPAA by adding privacy provi- of debt and avoid “get rich quick” schemesandother“en: tanglements which are nearly always designed to trap the gullible.” He promised that churchofficials would manage the chure 's finances wisely. urged longtime members to tailor the reach out to them and make programto thetithing income M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles added his praisefor the efforts made by missionaries since last fall’s conference, in which hechallenged young mento be the street from the mall, he better prepared for their two yet of service. ize the area. We asked them to be wor: thy, qualified,spirituallyener: gized missionarie Ballard said duringthis year’s opening But Hinckley made it clear that money for the purchase will come from the church’s commercial entities and not from tithing funds. He reported that the Per. Education session of the two-day confer. ence, “We don’t expect themto Fund, beperfect, but they need to be anxious, willing, and commit ted to serve so they can reach launchedin 2001, has nowpro: vided financial assistance to about 8,000 young men and women, in developing new levels of spirituality as gospel teachers.” countries. “Onaverage, with the two years of education they That standard elevated But Matheson has been noncom mittal, saying only that the speculation is premature. ‘See MATHESONS,13 BoundaryShift at S.L.-Utah County Line a Possibility By THOMAS BuRR The Salt Lake Tribune Just so you know, Salt Lake and Utah counties may change their shared boundary on Monday About 140 square feet of Utah County could be annexed into Salt Lake County after a special public hearing before the two See HINCKLEY, 185 are county's leaders scheduled at Syracuse Man Boomerang’ S Harangues at Protesters more control over their health information. ‘They also toughenedpenalties for HIPAA violators. Someone | See PRIVACY LAW, B2 By Paut Rouy The Salt Lake Tribune CORRECTION dust a “Bible Jim” beganto ex. plain his right to stand on city Thoseinterested in playing or helping to sponsor the Southern | Utah University Golf Classic on | May 16 should call 435-559-2667. The phone numberwas listed incorrectly in Saturday's editions. for their willingness to serve as church volunteers, espei sionaries, said, “We have felt it impera: tive todo something to revital. petual son Jr. running for the his father, the late Gov. Scott M. Matheson, held for two terms in ‘Thanksgiving Point near Lehi sions that limit the release of health records and give patients | AC And he praised members chapels and several new tem: ples each year, The church bought Cross: roads Mall in Salt Lake City with yourfaith. See that there bled world, Hinckley did not address the war in Iraq direct: ly, saying he would do so during a conferencesessiontoday. The church president told members to pay their tithes andcautionedthem to stay out .” Hinckley said. “It isa ing the constructionof 400 new are no losses among them,” the 92-year-old leader of the 11 “We But some federal officials worried this also could threaten your them nowreceiving, they are inSA Lan cities said, includ- Global turmoil has had no of the faith’s 178rd annual General Conference. estimates standardized coding will cut the costof processing patient health claims by $30 billion over 10 years. them with Encourage Lord,” Hinckley thesonsontheballot Speculation has circulated for months about Scott Mathe- the late 1970s and early 1980s. anduse these sacred funds for thepurposes designated bythe slowing effect on the LDS Church orits proselytizing ef- day duringthe opening session of Health and HumanServices themfeel more at home, e TheSalt Lake Tribune accessedaid by whom,” A product of the computer | a Congressional District represen tativeandwill runfor re-election. Holbrook said the Democratic Party has conducted surveys to determine if voters would reject maynot be listed. Undergoing even your relatives — to know where? No problem. These new patient privacy protections are part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, a massive piece of legislation that is only now, seven yearslater, taking effect. Some call the law, informally known as HIPAA pronounced “Hippa”), the most am- | told governornext year. His brother dim Matheson, is Utah's 2nd the parents notified the paper federal Holbrook Matheson Jr., dean of the Uni versity of Utah law school, is “se themselves, their baby’s name bitious Meg | At, HantMann/‘The Salt Lake Trine Mormonfaithful are bombarded with protest signs as they enter the LDS Conference Centerin Sait Lake City on Saturday for the 173rd annual General Conference. later said his mission was to give the feet to take in more of Mineral See NOTICE, 82 Shifting county fines protesters harassing Mormons on Saturday on Temple Square ‘a taste of their own medicine | Proposed f boundary | change In spite of the running contro sidewalk andhoist an anti-Mormon versy over free speech on the LDS poster, his words were drowned out when a young man standing behind Church-owned himburst into song. tions transpired as The Church of “Citysidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holidaystyle " blurted Travis Diobies of Syracuse, who The boundary shift which would move part of Salt Lake County's southern line about 16 stretch of Main Street, only a handful of demonstra: Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints See PROTESTERS, 1) ineral asin Nc Ritowns 1. Maviicrn/ Te Salt Lake Tribune Maybe Drizzle DousedFire, Brimstone at Temple Square ereis a snapshotof a city on good behav: there was nothing H jor: On onepatchof North Templeside. happening on the plaza, Zero activity walk,just outside the gate to Temple swirling around whereit always rd plastered with New Testament verses and ly handpainted pictureofJesus. A fellow protester is hollering “Come onout! Godis not in does on conference there!” But the manwiththe Jesus posterstayssilent. Onasquareof grass 50feet away, four female LDS missionaries hovertogether beneath two um brella th is wearinga characteristicblack wool coat, nametag and a tag bearingtheflag of herhome country. They are beautiful women. They smileserenely, greet each passer-by with a friendly “good morning.” They watch the show unfolding before them, and say nothing. This wasthefirs ion of the first LDS Gen eral Conferencesincea federal appeals court de. terminedlast fall that the church-owned Main | Everything was Squareon Saturday morning, stands a guy wear: ing a raincoat and wide-brimmedhat to keep the drivingsleetoffhis face, He is holding a massive Street Plaza would remain open to protesters. But R COPY” weekend Houty MULLEN just out side Temple Square,and across thestreet, at the on: morning, | would have patted it on the head, said “good job!” and handed it a chocolate chip cookie, Orallowed it to stay up past bedtime to watch fa vorite videos. Things ran just that smoothly, We canbe proud ofthat Whatdid we expect anyway? Yes, some protest ers are loud and combative, but many are not Many choose to stand quietly, engaging in debate only when approached. I watched two men stand. ing about 10 feet from protest central both in white shirts and neat neckties engaged in pas startedlast week and crescendoed withpoliticians sionate discourse for 20 minutes. The topic was the concept of grace, Whew. Nothing would be set tled anytimesoon, “Lthink what you don't understand isthat the gospel is simple, and you have made it too com and public-safety types biting their nails and fear ing theworst, no one lost control, no one flattened his foe. It was just bone-biting cold and wet, and plex,” said the LDS man. “Oh no,” said his opponent, standingtoe-to-toe “I know | am saved through grace alone. That's as Conference Center. trance of the church’s sprawling And contrary to the big media buildup that thefaithful Mormon andotherwise committed as everto their cause, were Salt Lake was well-behaved, We knew it would be. If this town were a 5-year pid child Saturday simple as you can get Asalways, conference proceed| were being piped onto Temple Square, where hundreds of chilled faithful huddled under blanke sor in groups, many of thempainfully underdressed Their hair, soaked with rain, clung to their fa Too many sandals, ‘Too many light cotton dre: Didn't they know it was April conference week end in Utah? The purple and periwinkle hyacinths and tu Miips bent softly beneath the drizzle, The Mormon yernacle Choir sang “Where Love Is, There God Is Also.” And church President Gordon B. Hinckley offered wise words and kind thoughts ir his opening address, Words that anyone of any faith could embrace May there be love and peace in your homes,” he said, “May there be food upon your tab! and cloth ing on your backs, May the smiles of on W your hearts and bring comfort in times of trial Shortly after, the two debaters on the sidewalk seemed ready to wrap it up. “Well, I'm thankful you didn't scream at me sald the LDS man. I don't have to, said the other “because | know what I believe [e-mail]