Originally Posted by
Hillbilly
Interesting. I went to that site (US Dept of Health and Human Services) and it had a section specifically about HIPAA and how it relates to your employer asking you for a doctor's note.
I'm no rocket scientist, but after reading that and some additional information on HIPAA, it sounds like the only way any of this would ever remotely even get close to a HIPAA violation would be if Delta went to my doctor directly and asked for my medical information and in turn my doctor gave that information,
Jed-
I agree with your interpretation.
The sick leave verification program is not a HIPAA violation.
We "voluntarily" authorize our doctors to provide information to Delta.
The problem is that its not really voluntary under most people's definition of the word. At least not on an individual basis. Our company and our union have entered into a contract which coerces you to give up your privacy rights or lose your job.
They can do that. Its not illegal. ALPA is our collective bargaining agent. We elected them and we have authorized them to enter into such agreements on our behalf. I wish they wouldn't have done it, but what's new? There are a lot of things I wish they wouldn't do.
Hopefully we will have a new Master Chairman next week who won't be quite so "constructive".