The erosion of physician-patient privilege and patient confidentiality

With the proliferation of third party payers for health care who exercise utilization management, there has been an erosion of the physician-patient privilege and patient confidentiality. The kinds of medical information obtained by third party payers under the guise of claims administration violate the spirit if not the actual laws pertaining to physician-patient communication. It presents three episodes involving the first author in which that communication was violated by third parties administering health care benefits. Recommendations are made to protect that confidentiality in this era of increasing cost management.