In the past, therapists only needed to provide insurance companies with a diagnostic code, identifying information, and dates of service. Now insurers usually want a thorough description of your problems, history, symptoms, family life, work life and so on.
This information may be reviewed by employees of both the insurance company and a separate managed care company. Many employees of these companies do not have the same training in confidentiality as professionals. Unfortunately, there have been increasing reports of disturbing breaches of privacy.
Insurance and managed care companies put your information into their computers. Managed care company ownership has been changing rapidly. Smaller companies are bought by bigger ones, which are swallowed by even bigger ones. I am concerned about what will happen to client information as changes in ownership take place.
Further, your information may be forwarded to the Medical Information Bureau, a collection of over 700 insurance companies that pool their data. They will use this data in assessing your insurability in the future for life, health, and disability insurance.
Finally, according the Wall Street Journal, employers have been getting reports of consultations with therapists. This usually begins in a reasonable attempt to monitor health insurance benefit usage. Unfortunately, it appears that a growing number of employers have begun to use that information for other purposes. Time Magazine recently reported that one third of Fortune 500 companies use health information in making hiring and promotion decisions.
Decreases in privacy may lead to decreases in your openness. The more that is true, the less effective our work together can be.
