People Who Can’t Admit They’re Wrong…

A member made me cry today. Here’s a re-created transcript of what happened after verifying information:

Member: I need to change the doctor on my card.
Me: Ok, I can help you with that. Is there anyone else on the account you need to change the doctor for?
Member: Yeah, my husband and my kid.
(Verifying information)
Me: Is your husband available to give permission to access his account?
Member: Yes. Just a moment.
(Member’s husband gives permission and verifies information, giving the phone back to the member)
Me: Ok, just to let you know since he is over the age of 18, anytime we access his account we’d have to get permission from him, okay?
Member: (rudely) That’s funny, I ain’t never had to do that before.
Me: Well, in order to comply with HIPAA rules, anyone over the age of 18 must give permission for anyone else to access their account each time.
Member: (even more rudely) Well, I am his wife and he is under me, not the other way around. I take care of everything and I signed us up for Welfare and they ain’t never had to get his permission to do anything to his account.
Me: I can’t speak for regulations that Welfare has to follow, but we must comply with HIPAA laws because we’re dealing with Protected Health Information.
Member: (loudly) I’m his WIFE! By law you have to give me access to whatever information I want.
Me: Actually, ma’am, if we don’t have his permission we are violating HIPAA and breaking the law. (http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/solutions-managing-your-practice/coding-billing-insurance/hipaahealth-insurance-portability-accountability-act/hipaa-violations-enforcement.shtml)
Member: (loudly) You don’t know whatchu talking ’bout. You can’t be married or else you’d know the law.
Me: Anyway, I can get that provider assigned to you, and we’ll send out…
Member: (interrupting snidely) Yeah, yeah, honey you do that.
Me: …we’ll get those new cards with the new doctor listed on it sent out and they should be there in…
Member: (interrupting snidely) Ok, honey. You just keep talking. I’ll be contacting your supervisor.
Me: I can transfer you directly to my supervisor if you’d like.
Member: Oh I would love that.

Then I accidentally hit "END CALL" instead of "HOLD", and started crying. With everything else bubbling under the surface I just lost it and cried for about 10 minutes. I didn’t take any calls during that time and was asked through an IM by a supervisor if I was ok (if we are out of the queue for more than 5 minutes someone checks on us to see if we need help). I told them what happened and they came over and gave me some candy.

Sometimes this job can be so difficult. The irritating thing is that I knew I was right. I was the one who took a course about HIPAA and hears about it and explains it every day and no one else has given me such a big deal over it. What a nasty woman!