Marie Davis noted:

<< I have read with interest the various comments about when dad calls.
 The one thing that hasn't been mentioned is patient confidentially.  Even in
 the most loving of relationships there are what we would call secrets however
 the law looks at it as confidentially issues. >>

Let me tell you a wee bit about this from the other perspective.  The phone
rang, and someone said, "This is Dr. XXX's office calling.  Is Mr. Barger in?"
"No," sez I, thinking, where on earth do they think he is on a Tuesday morning
at 10:00 am???  "He's at work, would you like his number there?"  "No" she
says, "that's OK, is this his wife?  Could you take a message for him?  And
then if you like, I could call him at work."  "Sure, that's fine."  "Please
tell him his MRI was normal."

After my heart started beating again, I very weakly asked if they were sure
they had the right Barger.  The lady at the other end was totally nonplussed.
Obviously she had violated a rule of confidentiality -- I bet she'll never do
THAT again.

Well, I got on the horn to Bob -- fortunately he called me back immediately.
"WHAT'S THIS ABOUT AN MRI??????"  I shrieked.  Well, it turned out he had had
some numbness & tingling in his face, and in a curbside consult with one of
the docs at the hospital, it was suggested he had an MRI.  It was done when I
was in Detroit speaking at a conference, at the time when Torrey had been
diagnosed with cancer and then undiagnosed, and he didn't want to worry me.
WORRY ME?

While I understood his rationale (and my own personality), it was a bit of a
jolt to get the news that there was any concern about anything over the phone
from some faceless person in a doctor's office.

Anyway, the upshot is that Bob is fine, Torrey is fine -- we've all had a bit
of stress in our lives, and I would suggest that we don't give any info over
the phone to anyone but the client in question.....

Jan B.