Dr. Christina Peterson, headache specialist and founder of HEADQuarters Migraine Management and Migraine Survival, commented on the Effective Advocates post with great advice for all of us:
There is no excuse for doctors or other health care providers to be jerks. However, please be aware that under current HIPAA laws we are somewhat restricted regarding how much information we are allowed to release to anyone who is not the patient without the patient’s written permission. If you are in the room, obviously there is a level of implied consent–unless there is reason to suspect an abusive relationship, which we are also obligated by law to report. And…between 1/5 to 1/3 of women reporting to Emergency Departments have been victims of some sort of sexual or domestic violence or abuse. So–it becomes complicated.
In today’s deteriorating health care environment, the Emergency Department has become something of a war zone, inundated by trauma victims. And with the general lack of awareness and poor attitude regarding the headache sufferer, we tend to fare poorly in the Emergency Department and are treated, at best, as a nuisance, and more often, as a drug seeker. This is why I try to give my patients the tools they need to manage their headaches on their own without resorting to Emergency Department treatment unless they have become dehydrated and require IV hydration.
If you do go to an ER, take an advocate who can remain calm but persistent, while keeping these points in mind–and someone who can educate regarding headache/migraine wouldn’t hurt!
Another point: if you think you might be too impaired to call your physician’s office during a headache, and you are going to want a family member to call on your behalf, please sign a consent form for that person to talk to the physician when you are in the office. We really are not trying to be difficult about this–it’s federal law intended to protect your confidentiality.