Comic for 5/29/12

[d murphy]

Whoops, I was early on everything except starting this thread.

[razmoudah]

Well, I've been studying to be a medical transcriptionist and what I can tell you is that what the gal was asking is in the 'gray zone' regarding privacy of information. As she was talking to some one else in the same medical office she works at it isn't technically restricted information. However, as an intern she isn't technically an employee of the office, but a volunteer (unless it's a paid internship, which as of this strip hasn't been made clear, and thus changes the dynamics quite a bit as a paid intern is technically defined as an employee rather than a volunteer do to the taxes paperwork, either way an intern is labeled as being an employee for legal purposes, but a court of law can split the definition in this manner for technicalities), and technically only employees are permitted access to such private information. Now, she does have the right to be asking if she should address Lilian as Ms. Cartwright-McGill or Mrs. Cartwright-McGill, as even though marital status is again a 'gray zone' question it is relevant as to how the woman prefers to be addressed, and someone working in a reception capacity needs to know that, even though marital status is supposed to be 'protected' information (and thus a spot where tradition screws over the best efforts of the Privacy Act). I hope I haven't confused you to much, especially as I'm writing this months after the fact.