Real Privacy concerns

[fwdanby]

I am an MD.   Been monitoring this site for a few  weeks.   I will be placing a notice in my waiting room and all exam / surgery rooms and on the new consent (if I don't become a country doctor) something like this: YOU ARE NOW IN A MEDICAL CONFIDENTIALITY ZONE. YOU MUST NOT REPEAT OR OTHERWISE USE ANY INFORMATION YOU OVERHEAR OR SEE BY ACCIDENT WHILE IN THIS OFFICE. WE DO OUR BEST TO PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY BUT NOTHING IS PERFECT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS POLICY, WE ASK YOU TO SEEK CARE ELSEWHERE. What think you all? I have not run this by any lawyers. I have seen nothing on this subject from HIPAA despite the fact that thin walls and loud old men with hearing problems are the major source of lost confidentiality in my office. The WEDI SNIP listserv to which you are subscribed is not moderated. The discussions on this listserv therefore represent the views of the individual participants, and do not necessarily represent the views of the WEDI Board of Directors nor WEDI SNIP. If you wish to receive an official opinion, post your question to the WEDI SNIP Issues Database at http://snip.wedi.org/tracking/. Posting of advertisements or other commercial use of this listserv is specifically prohibited.