One of my medical partners has suffered a heart attack since I last blogged. He’s doing great but his life is changed forever. He will have to work through the anxiety that comes with every slight chest pain from now on.

One of the most difficult decisions was deciding who to tell due to HIPAA rules and regulations. The rules are probably clearer than our office personnel’s ability to interpret them.

I was told in stealth by the clinic manager and before I could say a prayer of thanksgiving for him and his family, I had already received a phone call from someone in the community. Then I went and told everybody else in the office. Shame on me.

I worked for a pathologist who tried to keep it a secret that he was suffering from lymphoma. It was a huge mistake and caused those of us who knew his secret to either lie to our other colleagues or insult them by telling them it was none of their business. That’s BS.

People, we don’t live in a vacuum. Although people are gossips, there are those who care for you. There are those who work for you and with you. I feel that they have a right to know. Yes, they can be a little discrete on sharing some of the information. I don’t need my patients knowing that I had hemorrhoid surgery (I didn’t, really, no really!) 

You can’t hide the truth from 3000 patients who depend upon you for their health care, worship with you, and care for your family. If you want absolute privacy, go live on a deserted island somewhere.