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Trump last year asked doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to sign confidentiality agreements when treating him.
During a surprise trip to Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland on November 16, 2019, US President Donald Trump asked doctors and medical personnel, mostly on active duty, to sign a confidentiality agreement. information (NDA), according to 4 sources of knowledge. At least two Walter Reed physicians refused to sign this nondisclosure agreement so they should not be involved in presidential medical care.
The White House at the time explained that the president went to Walter Reed to complete parts of the annual wellness test, which is usually done after the New Year. “A very busy prediction for 2020 is that the president is using his weekend off in Washington to get a routine checkup on Walter Reed,” said Stephanie Grisham, then the White House press secretary.
The president’s two previous physicals were notified in advance to Walter Reed’s medical staff. However, they were not notified when Trump arrived at the hospital this time. The real reason for the visit to the US president’s hospital in November 2019 remains a mystery.
Sources said they weren’t sure if, on October 2, when Walter Reed for Covid-19 treatment, the president would ask the doctors here to sign the confidentiality agreement, because they had never treated him before. A spokesman for Walter Reed declined to comment.
US President Donald Trump in front of Walter Reed National Medical Center on October 5. Image: AFP.
Under the Health Insurance Providers and Accountability Act (HIPAA), anyone who provides medical services to a US citizen or president is prohibited from disclosing a patient’s personal health information without consent. Given the legal protections of HIPAA, many people wonder why Trump is asking employee Walter Reed to sign the NDA.
“Any physician treating the president is subject to HIPAA confidentiality of patient information and I will not comment on other internal procedures,” said the Home Press undersecretary. White Judd Deere said in a statement.
Additionally, all designated employees of the White House Medical Unit, who treat the President and Vice President on a daily basis, are subject to special background checks and must be US citizens.
The transparency of Trump’s health has become a growing concern since the White House announced last week that he is positive for nCoV and the president appears to strictly restrict the information his doctors can give. share with the public. White House physician Sean Conley declined to answer key questions, such as the last time Trump tested negative for the virus and his lung condition.
Conley, a naval officer, repeatedly refused to release Trump’s health information citing HIPAA. Conley’s documents updating Trump’s health are captioned “I release the following information with the permission of President Donald J. Trump.”
Trump regularly asks employees of the Trump Organization to sign confidentiality agreements. He continued this practice when he ran for president and even adopted the NDA with some White House officials after taking office.
Some famous people and wealthy business people often ask their doctors to sign the NDA, even if it isn’t necessary, said Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine. He argued that asking to sign the NDA was not unethical but legally redundant, as any doctor who discloses treatment information without the patient’s permission faces penalties. heavy.
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