Wow. Holy HIPAA violation.

Quote from rebat : Only if your name is truly unique and you still can't conclude anything. If I visit a cardiologist it does not necessarily mean I have cardiac issue. Nor does it tell you what issue I have. Anyway, you can try to call again and pretend to be someone else to trick them.... but what are you going to gain with that info anyway?

According to a major operator of hospitals in the US, even talking about the gown a doctor wears while treating a patient is a HIPAA violation.

"Wright said the hospital’s lawyers had decided that discussing Steve H.’s bill would violate the federal HIPAA law protecting the privacy of patient medical records. I pointed out that I wanted to ask questions only about the hospital’s charges for standard items — such as surgical gowns, basic blood tests, blanket warmers and even medical devices — that had nothing to do with individual patients. “Everything is particular to an individual patient’s needs,” she replied. Even a surgical gown? “Yes, even a surgical gown. We cannot discuss this with you. It’s against the law.” She declined to put me in touch with the hospital’s lawyers to discuss their legal analysis.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20/bitter-pill-why-medical-bills-are-killing-us/#ixzz2MPi0IDFb"