Apartments ask about prescription meds!

I'm at home sick today with the first cold I've had since 1994. So I'm sitting here reading and my 19 year old daughter texts me. She is attending a college about 30 miles away and lives inthe dorm there. Her room-mate is transfering, so some other girls ask my daughter to come live with them in their on-campus, school-built apartment. One of the questions on the apartment application was

"Please list any prescription medications you are taking"!!!

She smelled a rat and asked me about it (I deal with medical/government regs every day at work). I told her that was private personal medical info and none of their business. I'd have to check but I'm thinking that such questions are ileagal as well here in the US (HIPAA regulations).

Has anyone else ever heard of apartments doing this?

I further told that that I'll bet they were trolling to find people on anti-depressants or other psycotropics...

On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Originally posted by DaTroof
On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Irrelevant. It is none of their business.

Originally posted by davjan4
Please list any prescription medications you are taking

That is a vague request. There is no time frame explicitly stated. I would assume it to mean "...while completing this form." and truthfully answer "none."

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

Originally posted by DaTroof
On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Irrelevant. It is none of their business.

As a student paying rent to a landlord who happens to also be the school, it is absolutely the school's business.

Originally posted by DaTroof
On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Those aren't key words at all. It's still against HIPAA, which is very strict in this regard. That;s why you have to pay for a prescription at the pharmacy inside a grocery store instead of at the normal check out. Some checker "might see" what you are taking. I would think a brief letter to the school invoking HIPAA would do the trick here.

reply to post by davjan4


My daughter attended UGA for 5 years, lived two years in campus and three years out of campus all with roommates, never she was asked if she was taking any medications.

You are right, this is a very blatant violation of privacy rights and the HIPAA regulations, as of today no where in congress has been passed and signed by the president any laws that concern giving away personal and private information that included health related issues and the law stands as the way it has been since with the HIPAA regulations

If I was you I will be talking to a lawyer and have the name of those asking this questions in the list to be call and inquired.

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by DaTroof
On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Those aren't key words at all. It's still against HIPAA, which is very strict in this regard. That;s why you have to pay for a prescription at the pharmacy inside a grocery store instead of at the normal check out. Some checker "might see" what you are taking. I would think a brief letter to the school invoking HIPAA would do the trick here.

We don't know enough about the pharmaceutical guidelines for the campus. This question may be to ensure that backup medication is available through a campus pharmacy in case of emergency.

There may be strict guidelines on how narcotic or heavily abusive medication is doled out. Medicines deemed narcotics may be prohibited from inside the apartment.

Without knowing what guidelines are present for residency, we can't know whether this question seeks too much personal information. In my opinion, it's within the rights of a private establishment on-campus to ask such questions.

I don't think it's a conspiracy or a privacy invasion. My daughter lives on campus and the nurses office/health dept wanted to know what meds she was on in case she were ever to be incapacitated and unable to tell someone.

If she were to be unconscious, they need a record of what meds might be in her system so they can administer meds without fear of drug interactions.

I can see your point, but I doubt it's about "screening" for possible looney tunes...I think it has valid health and medical reasoning.

Not only that, prescriptions come and go. You might be on something today and off next month or you might go to the doctor next week and start a new one...I would say that it is a question you can choose to answer however you see fit...

Originally posted by schuyler

Originally posted by DaTroof
On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Those aren't key words at all. It's still against HIPAA, which is very strict in this regard. That;s why you have to pay for a prescription at the pharmacy inside a grocery store instead of at the normal check out. Some checker "might see" what you are taking. I would think a brief letter to the school invoking HIPAA would do the trick here.

I don't see that it would be against HIPPA...if they ask and you tell them, you are giving your own information.

IMHO, the appropriate response is "none of your business."

Originally posted by DaTroof

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

Originally posted by DaTroof
On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Irrelevant. It is none of their business.

As a student paying rent to a landlord who happens to also be the school, it is absolutely the school's business.

Really? I would think " as a student" you would know your constitutional rights. Maybe you're not in the US though.

What else of her private life is "their business". And just because it's a private colledge does not give them cart-blanch to violate her rights.

Just because an authority figure asks you a question, doesn't mean you have to answer it. People need to understand their rights. Especially our next generation.

And just because you have a list of meds, it doesn't mean that you are afflicted with what that med is typically prescribed for. I'm an RN and I can tell you that meds can have more than one purpose. For example, antidepressants are also used for migrains.

So where does it stop? How far can they delve? Maybe since they have a key theu can waltz in while she's not there and go through her medicine cabinet?

Fortunatly my daughter isn't a sheep. She didn't answer it. Good girl. She also figured before I told her that they may be looking for kids on antidepressants. Also called profiling. And discrimination. And a violation of their privacy. And just plain nosey.

Oh and I own rental property too. AndI don't care what prescription meds my tennents are taking. I also know better than to ask.

reply to post by DaTroof


No really, my daughter had two roommates that while in campus and out of campus, were taking anti depressants and no where in campus and out of campus were they asked to disclosure such information, we talking no just a small college this was UGA a major University here in GA.

This obvious in view of what the charlatan Bloomberg has done in NY and now is illegal fishing going on around.

reply to post by NavyDoc


Exactly. HIPAA doesn't protect you in this instance. One can refrain from sharing this info, but beware that such negligence comes with consequences, perhaps even being kicked out of the apartment or school.

reply to post by marg6043


I believe you. Every campus is different, and new rules and guidelines pop up every semester.

I suppose they could do the question as a medical as part of enrollment as it would be from patient to medical staff so as confidential as any other visit to the doc's but it would take up a lot of time and most people who probably list basic stuff like insulin etc are not too bothered who knows and it may be a life saver if they drop into a coma as they can check in on the person informally every day to make sure they're well

reply to post by davjan4


While it is questionable whether or not they have the right to ask that question, it is not a HIPAA violation because the apartment complex is not providing health care. HIPPA only applies to health care providers. Asking the question may be a legal violation of privacy, and is certainly ethically questionable. No way should she answer that question. It's not their business.

Period.

Done.

Originally posted by DaTroof
reply to post by NavyDoc

 

Exactly. HIPAA doesn't protect you in this instance. One can refrain from sharing this info, but beware that such negligence comes with consequences, perhaps even being kicked out of the apartment or school.

So how is not forking over your medical history to someone who has no legal right to it "negligence"?

Because ATS is privately owned, before any further posting, please U2U a mod all medication and/or alcohol you are using or might be using.

Never said in a future post by the owners.

(something to think about)

reply to post by DaTroof


In the 5 years my daughter attended a major University she never had the need to see the school nurse or campus doctors she always came home to see her personal doctor.

So never was she in need or asked to disclosure anything within the college medical facility and let me tell you UGA does have a nice medical facility.

Originally posted by DaTroof

Originally posted by AwakeinNM

Originally posted by DaTroof
On-campus, school-built are the key words here.

Prescription drug abuse is rampant among college students, and this is a way to determine what pills are legally on their campus.

Irrelevant. It is none of their business.

As a student paying rent to a landlord who happens to also be the school, it is absolutely the school's business.

A landlord may not ask that either. That is illegal. Did you just transfer in from a more nazi timeline. Not legal in this one, and guess what, we're not going to let them errect any illegal laws. They can try but they're going to lose.