Mr. Sloppy Joe

A good day today, all in all.  First day I've felt productive all week - I managed to complete seven employee evaluations (which means I'm ever closer to getting my raise).  Just need to stay on top of it and not procrastinate tomorrow....yeah, right.

Scott's playing around with a new template style, and I've been wanting to make a table border for my page.  It intimidates me because I am so new at all of this HTML stuff.  Decided the best way to go 'bout it is to create another category page just to experiment with.  But not tonight.   ha.

Found out Monday that our CEO has resigned.  What a shock!  So I took the opportunity this morning to do a little politickin' and stopped by his office to chat.  I really have enjoyed working with this guy, and I hate to see him go.  This means we'll have a new CEO to break in, and everyone is concerned about who'll take his place.  I'm a team player.  I want to keep my job.  So I'll play nice.

Sugar's in my lap again.  Every day when I get home from work, she bonds to me like glue.  I figure she's just lonely for some female companionship by the end of the day.  Such a beauty she is.  Scott took a couple more pictures of Sugar and Elvis today, and I'll post them on my 100 things page tomorrow when I have more time.

Gonna tap out early tonight.  Catch up on the lastest sniper news.  I think there's going to be a news conference soon.  I read somewhere earlier today some comments about Chief Moose's competency or lack thereof.  IMHO, I believe law enforcement should be given a pat on the back for doing the best they can do and for working so hard to catch this nut. 

Off to start dinner.  Paging Mr. Sloppy Joe!!  Paging Mr. Sloppy Joe !!  It's YOUR turn tonight.

6:32:58 PM     

Smoking

Brain scans shed light on nicotine's effects [Reuters Health eLine]

Great......another excuse for me to not quit.  Maybe I'll wait till the next test results??  And yesterday I read that the average person who stops smoking gains 18 lbs. !!  No wayyyy.

5:47:19 PM     

United Press International: Groups to challenge medical privacy rule

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A new federal rule that allows medical records to be disclosed without patient consent went into effect last week with little fanfare but patient rights groups are trying to muster legislation and perhaps a legal challenge to block it.

The so-called privacy rule, which was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and took effect Oct. 15, allows doctors and health insurance companies to disclose medical records for treatment, payment and healthcare operations without obtaining patient consent.

"(HHS) continues to mislead the public ... continues to tell citizens and Congress ... this improves medical privacy ... when in fact it does just the opposite," Sue Blevins, president of the Washington think tank Institute for Health Freedom, said at a news briefing Monday.

The privacy rule largely will be invisible to the consumer. Doctors and health insurance companies will have to notify patients of their privacy policy and detail with whom they will share medical records, but after that health information can be distributed without the patient's knowledge or involvement.

The rule is intended to prevent the inappropriate release of this information but patient rights groups are concerned it is so vaguely written confidential information could be disclosed to individuals or institutions that have no legitimate reason to access it.

"There are activities under way to challenge this," Blevins said, referring to a bill recently introduced in Congress and a forthcoming legal challenge.

[ ... ]

"Most people don't realize that these rules are already in effect," he said, pointing out the urgency of the situation. Health insurance companies have until next April to be in compliance with the regulations but they can already release medical information in accordance with the new rule, he said.

[ ... ]

Health insurance companies also deny medical information will be inappropriately released.

"We don't see that threat," Larry Akey, spokesman for the Health Insurance Association of America, a lobbying group for health insurance companies, told UPI. But he added insurers may choose to release medical records to third parties that distribute wellness or disease management information, and he was uncertain whether this might contain information that would make people identifiable.

Pyles noted the rule also is retroactive and that any previous and future medical information in a patient's file can be disclosed. In addition, there is no tracking requirement so there is no way to trace to whom a person's medical information has been released, he said.

[ ... ]

Twila Brase, president of the Citizens' Council on Health Care, told UPI she is concerned about a provision of the rule that allows medical information to be disclosed for something called National Priority reasons, which includes law enforcement, public health, organ transplant and national security purposes.

"It should be called the medical record disclosure rule and not the privacy rule," she said at the briefing. "Patients will have to choose between privacy and health care. They can't have both."

5:29:41 PM