c. moren says:

How can a doctor contact a non family member about anything? Isnt this against Hippalaw?

Sara says:

I just happened to look something up on Youtube for a friend and noticed there were posts all over for concerts that had been put on in order to earn proceeds for Chi. I suffered a major loss on Feb 16, 2008 due to my 13 week old baby boy's sudden, unexplained death which occurred as I held him in my arms right by my side at some point during the nap we were taking together. I have 2 other children who came into the room upon hearing all the commotion which occurred as I desperately attempted to revive their baby brother and the paramedics arrived, taking him away where they would not ever see him again. Needless to say, I had a lot to deal with. Not only did I have to cope with my own grief, but I also had to deal with that of a 3 and a 10 year old. Thank goodness children are so resilient at times, for they seem to have recovered for the most part. I did not do well at all. I completely shut down to the point where I could not function on a daily basis to care for myself or my children. Two and 1/2 years later, I am finally returning to life. I do not tell of my suffering in hopes of gaining sympathy and attention from those who read this, but rather shared my story to provide background in hopes of gaining understanding as to why I had completely shut myself off from the world. I would NEVER go to a website created to increase awareness of someone else's suffering and to provide a place where so many loved ones may go to share their feelings of sympathy, love, and to provide donations to help Chi's recovery.
The fact that I've been cut off from the world, not even speaking to any friends of mine, prevented me from hearing of the tragic accident Chi was in. I have now read a lot of what is posted and would like to extend my sympathy to Chi himself, his mother, all other family members, friends, and fans. I am so sorry for the physical pain Chi has and continues to feel as well as for the struggle Chi is currently facing every second of every day in trying to improve his condition. I am amazed at both the advancements in medical technology which comprise the protocol that Chi just began and of the huge amount of progress Chi seems to have made within such a short period of time after starting the protocol. I was raised surrounded by medical personnel with a physician father and an RN mother. I am extremely interested in many aspects of medicine and would really like to learn more about Chi's protocol. I will have to spend a bit more time on this site to see what I can find. I have already visited the Brain Research Institute's site, but there is only information as to what they are working on, no details.
Because of the loss I endured, I am not capable of working, so I am still on Social Security. Difficult to swallow at the age of 33. I would give half of what I own to have just a bit of extra income to give to help ensure that Chi receives every single treatment at the exact time as originally planned. It is so incredibly sad that such a HUGE amount of money is required for these treatments. I understand all of the politics involved, especially in a place that pretty much offers what no one else can and knows how to carry out cutting edge treatments. One would expect such a place to be pricey, just not THAT pricey. It's a very hard pill for me to swallow knowing that this 'super doctor' will not see Chi when he comes to California unless $20,000 is raised within the next two weeks. I cannot imagine how hard this is for his mother, his other family and friends to cope with. So much of the good will people used to have just does not exist anymore. It's understandable that SOME funds would need to be paid in order to cover costs incurred by the doctor when seeing Chi or doing any kind of procedure. The doctor would have to ensure the hospital fees were paid as well as the anesthesiologist, medications, etc. I guess the doctor also needs to survive, so he'd need some of the money to support himself and his family. However, has anyone EVER known anyone else who has been required to pay such large portions of their medical bills even after treatment? I haven't. But, this is a whole different ball of wax, this doctor and the facility CHI will be going to in New Jersey.
Well, now that I've blabbed and blabbed, I want to reiterate how incredibly deep my sorrow is for what has happened, what is happening, and what may lie ahead. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Chi it is not hard at all to see what a wonderful, friendly, down to earth person with a gigantic heart he is. My best wishes to you, Chi, and your entire one love family. I know every single one of them is rooting for you! As of about 2 hours ago, you received a brand new super bratty little sister in your one love family! Yes, that would be me! And you had better believe that i am thinking, hoping, wishing, and praying for your full recovery and for your friends and family to receive the strength they need to continue to cope as well as a bit of assistance from our heavenly father to help renew their faith. Much love to everyone in my new one love fam!
P.S.
For c. moren,
Almost forgot to include this! Prior to my disability, I worked for several doctors in an OB/GYN office. Amongst many other things, I helped to deal with the release of both paper and verbal medical records according to HIPPA regulations. Every doctor whether in an office or a hospital, has the ability to obtain a release of medical information form with ease. All that needs to be done for a non family member to be able to receive any and all medical information from someone's doctor is for a HIPPA compliant release of medical information to be filled out, listing the non family member as the person to receive information, the type of information the person will have access too such as labs, office notes, x-rays, and then the release must be signed by the patient whose information is going to be released or by that patient's guardian or representative. There should always be a place to put an expiration date in case the patient chooses to be specific about the length of which the release is to be valid. The form should state this next to the expiration date line but if it doesn't, if the patient or patient's representative does not provide an expiration date the release will automatically expire in 6 months from the date on which the release was signed. I tend to go into a whole lot of detail. Really bad habit that I cannot seem to break. Anyways, I hope this maybe helps provide an explanation on how a non family member could possibly get such detailed medical information without the doctors or nurses severely violating HIPPA laws. Great question though! I'm glad to hear that someone who doesn't work in either the medical field or insurance field knows about HIPPA law. Way to keep yourself aware and protected!!!:)