Show Mom r- Monday April 28 2003 A4 The Herald Journal - Regional view gfr A 0°3 FPW WBKtH wiMe Healthcare privacy rules more harmful than good From The Daily Herald R operate-unde- the r dictum “First do no harm” In the course of healing someone doctors are not supposed to make their patients’ condition worse It’s a good guideline not just for physicians but for those who write laws The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act contains provisions that are designed to protect medical records from prying eyes Under HIPAA those who illegally release confidential information could face fines up to $250000 or prison terms of up to 10 years The privacy provisions went into effect April 14 and in some respects may do mote harm than good in the long run In fact some heath care organizations wonder where it all might lead You’ve probably already seen some of the effects of the HIPAA regulations Tharmacies now require customers waiting to be served to stand back from the counter out of earshot of the pharmacist and the customer at the counter When you pick up your prescription you sign a single sheet rather than tlx bottom of a long list of other patrons and the medications they picked up But there are other provisions the public may not be aware of If you are admitted to a hospital you will be' asked if you want to “opt in" or “opt out" of being listed in the patient directory If you opt out that means the hospital will not acknowl- ' edge that you are even there let alone why you are there While that may seem like an attractive option for people who going in for cosmetic surgery or other personally embarrassing reasons it has drawbacks as welL For one thing friends and family cannot contact you find out how you’re ll doing or even send you a card Even if you opt in the hospital can statement on only release a condition call: who those to your undetermined good fair serious or get-we- one-wo- rd critical The rules don’t differentiate between a private person and a public figure Let's say hypothetically that Gov Mike Leavitt had a heart attack If he were either unconscious when he was brought to the hospital or consciously decided to opt out to keep his information private nobody could be told that he was in the hospital much less how he was doing — even though there is a genuine public interest in knowing the condition of an elected official who is sick or injured And there is potential for abuse either from overzealous bureaucrats who enjoy keeping the public in the dark or from medical professionals who fear suffering the penalties of inadvertently breaking HIPAA’s privacy provisions Congress needs to step in with immediate amendments tailoring the law much more narrowly to address specific problems A law that is subject to all sorts of confusing interpretations doesn’t serve the public : Treatment for juveniles shouldn’t involve custody A disturbing report by Congress's watchdog agency makes a start at documenting a difficult but problem: Parents of h children with serious driven to turn often are problems their children over to authorities or the juvenile justice system to get the mental health care they need The Genoa! Accounting Office found that in 19 states and 30 large counties surveyed more than 12700 children — mostly teenage boys — were placed or detained in this way h so they could receive treatment and care But neither sys- tern is set up for this purpose systems are meant to protect abused or neglected children placing them in foster care if needed Juvenile justice programs are aimed at rehabilitating children who have committed criminal or delinquent acts Given the limitations of the study the GAO notes the number of officials often don’t understand the system themselves and incorrectly advise parents about available pro- grams The GAO also found that some and local authorities are trying a state mental-healtnumber of innovative solutions to cope with the problem Some are bundling programs to come up with the needed funding Others are using less expensive providers for example nurses rather than psychiatrists to administer medicine Kansas has created a single facility to house a full range of children's programs Some states and counties are expandservices availmental-healting the mental-healt- h able for children But no one really knows the scope Child-welfaof the problem To find out the GAO recommends that both the Justice and Health and Human Services Departments: Look into a tracking system to follow such children and the results of their placement in child-welfa" and juvenile-justice systems Work to better educate state and is much involved children probably local officiate on federal requirehigher ments regarding children with mental-hParents of mentally disturbed chil--drealth are forced to take such action problems Encourage states to evaluate their for a number of reasons the study mental-healt- h found Health insurance may not programs for children - and find mental-healt- h such services cover ways to share the results of those studies services may not be available espeParents of children with serious cially in rural areas red tape — mental-healt- h problems are often including overlapping programs and complicated application processes — desperate They shouldn’t have to turn their children over to the county makes it difficult for parents to obtain services and state and local or stole to get the help they need little-luio- child-welfa- By -- M Joan Ryan L Annika Sorenstam wants to know I would be more comfortable watching the Colonial golf tournament in Texas next month if she w not playing in it It’s a wussy thing for me to say I know I feel the same way when I watch a high school senior heading toward the podium to deliver the valediction in front of all his or her am bothered when female athletes are measured against men It's like measuring a bantamweight against a classmates and their families The cise mix of pressure excite- ment scrutiny and expectation is enough other views m Uneven comparison In golf re : re re en to make me nauseous even if I don’t know die kid When she tees off at the ’ Colonial Sorenstam will be the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to play a PGA Tour event Hie young Swede is the best female golfer in the world She won 19 tournaments in the last two years setting a variety of LPGA scoring and earning records She wants to challenge herself against the men But some of her colleagues say Sorenstam’s performance can only hurt the LPGA If she plays well people will think die’s too good for the lowly LPGA If she plays poorly they will think the rest of the LPGA golfers must really stink if she’s the best of the lot “We have more to lose as an organization than Annika has to gain as an individual" LPGA golfer Angela Stanford wrote in Sports Illustrated recently I understand Stanford’s point of I heavyweight in boxing It is a pointless exer-- view I have argued it myself I am bothered when female athletes are measured against men It’s like measuring a bantamweight against a heavyweight in boxing It is a pointless exercise Men and women are built differently So in physical com- petitions women are at a disadvantage' No one denigrates male athletes in lower weight classes in boxing or wrestling because they can’t compete against their larger and stronger counterparts They are appreciated for being the best in their class Yet every few years the men versus women debate bubbles to the surface No matter how indomitable Martina Navratilova was on the women's tennis tour people said she wouldn’t crack the top 50 on the men’s tour Critics say the Women’s National Basketball Association allstars couldn’t beat a decent college men’s team And so on Now Sorenstam has opened the door again for comparisons in which women will in the eyes of many always come up short Yet as nervous as I am for Sorenstam — the television cameras will be pitiless in scrutinizing her every step and misstep — I imagine the - Here is a list of addresses and phone numbers for some of Cache Valley’s representatives in government: LOGAN-MAYO- R Doug Thompson 1567 Lynnwood Logan 753-689-9 Ave CACHE COUNTY EXECUTIVE BRANCH Executive: Lynn Lemon 120 N 100 1 West Logan 84321 Assessor Kathleen Howell 179 N Main Logan 84321 0 ’ Attorney: George Dairies 11 W 100 North Logan 84321 1 716-717- 716-710- 716-636- Auditor Tamara Stones 179 Main Logan 84321 Clerk: Jill Zoflinger N 716-712- 3 170 N Main Logan 84321 716-715-0 Recorder Michael L Gleed 179 N Main Logan 84321 716-718-0 Sheriff: Lynn Nelson 50 W 200 North Logan 84321 715-74Treasurer Karen A Jeppessen 179 NMaki Logan 84321 716-839-4 00 CACHE COUNTY COUNCIL Darrel Lee Gibbons —representing the north district— 840 S 1600 West 8 Lewiston 84320 S Brian Chambers —representing Ihe northeast district— 654 E 2160 258-523- The Herald Journal 0RGM41- -: Editorial policy ZMI ONVGB&6ED ON NLY FkVTVY The Opinion page ie Intended to acquaint rondsrs with s variety of viewpoint! on melton of pubbe importance and pronto members of the community with a forum tar flair views Personal coturnne cartoons and letters from readers reflect the opinions of fiair writers and creators EdHorfals under the hearing "Our ropnwsm me views or ms nsran journal tel board Mombers of the edhortel board TUtt tfPSTPECPlE M2E lDOT4 KSlP WON'T teK YWERE NLLTIAE MONEYS GOING DARRELL EHRUCKcity edHor CINDY YURTHteaturae edHor BRUCE SMTHfeublaher CHARLES McCOLLOMmanaglrig edHor f&it amckskmt an mon 6fy6f to kgo&adwt of a multitude Joan Ryan is p columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle Send comments to her in care of this newspaper or at joantyansfchronF send her decom Lawmakers Non Sequitur THE decision to take this risk came not from righteousness but from that insatiable place that chums inside every great athlete It pushes them to test the outermost limits of their bodies skill intuition improvisation Great athletes want to know what they are capable of In preparation for the Colonial Sorenstam has been turning her body into a muscle machine to add power and thus distance to her drives Though she has insisted that playing against the men is a personal challenge and not a statement about the LPGA her quest could mid up transforming women’s golf Her example could raise the level of athleticism among women golfers just as Navratilova raised the level of power and athleticism in women’s tennis (now pushed even higher by the remarkable Williams sisters) “It’s a risk (for Sorenstam)’’ says Anne Cribbs a former Olympic swimmer who founded the women's American Basketball League and headed up San Francisco’s recent bid for the Olympics “But athletes take risks If this is the way she sets her personal standard of excellence teen she should do it” Selfishly I still wish Sorenstam were not playing in the Colonial It sends the message that the women’s tour is the minor leagues that women must measure themselves against men to find legitimacy But in the end Sorenstam is an athlete She wants what every driven athlete ' male or female wants — to say “I’m here I made it I did it" of tongues than tkmyfi toy iQndofautfaitativt 4 North North Logan 84341 — nansen jonn a ropiBScnung mo south district— 252 EMain Hyrum 752-057- 84319245-658- 4 Paul Cook —representing the southeast district — 445 Glenwood Circle Providence 84332 752-196-4 Cory Yeates —representing Logan district No 1—281 S 100 East 7 Logan 84321 Kathy Robison —representing Logan district No 2— 335 N 400 West Logan 84321 753-510-9 Craig Petersen —representing E 1220 Logan district No 440 8 North Logan 84341 752-902- 8-1- 752-677- IEBEIEISZ The HwaM Journal wrrinnmrnt letters V) far edHor PotenKaly Rwloue or offensive bfers wi not be published however and the edHor reserves the ttytf to edtt el letter to oonfoim to fie length and style requirements of fie Lettore should be: Typewritten and doubte-epeceNo more than 450 words in tongfi Addrssssd and Inducts daytime phons number tor purposes of verification Signed by the author IndMduab ere hided to one pubished let- ter wthln any y period AddreeeE-mletters to hjtoltorOhnswi com Quest mm mantories are ako wsioome and are tun at fie sdtorii decretal sdn' — JufrLeWXMaicMjvist(lS72-Ml- al ) |