For those of you who know me personally, you know my profession and that I have a few inside sources developed over the years. I got a call from one of them today with some very concerning news. They are involved with the health care industry and it seems that Homeland Security is now calling physicians and requesting to see the meical files of certain patients.

What I have learned:

1. Homeland Security is calling your local Dr.'s office to request patient files.

Yes, thats right, CALLING. No paperwork or official request. No court oversight (subpeona). I have done a little research on this but would like any attorneys that are out there to give an opinion on this. A link to the HIPAA FAQ's here:

http://www.hhs.gov/hipaafaq/permitted/law/505.html

The ACLU's site paints a bleak picture:

http://www.aclu.org/privacy/medical/15222res20030530.html

2. The common denominator so far seems to be recent overseas travel.

At this point I don't know what type of information they want or why. So far, it seems to be a very limited number although in my opinion, one is too many. I will attempt to get more information by asking some poignant questions and if any of you have input I would be anxious to hear it.

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