Protest At State Capitol Over Health Information Exchange

Therapists, counselors, and patients from across the state marched to the Capitol Saturday with Oklahoma Providers for Privacy to fight back against a new Oklahoma law.

Soon, healthcare providers could be required to share client information in an online database accessible to providers across the state.

For the mental health field, this means highly personal information, and it has some providers saying the database will do more harm than good.

The peaceful protest all ties back to SB1369, signed into law last session.

“I want them to understand the damage this bill could do to our state,” said Shay Espinosa, a licensed professional counselor in Oklahoma.

Damage that Alyse Walker, another Oklahoma licensed professional counselor, can already see unfolding.

“Many of my clients have said if this keeps going the way its going they’re just going to stop coming to therapy at all,” Walker said.

But the impact could be much greater than simply losing a client.

“The risk is lives,” said Walker. “This would just be detrimental to my clients and a lot of them might die ultimately.”

A risk she, and many others, aren’t willing to take. Walker says confidentiality is why many patients come in for therapy and other services in the first place.

“If I see them at Walmart or the grocery store, I can’t even acknowledge it,” Walker said of the strict privacy rules she and other mental health providers follow.

Walker feels that without that comfort, some patients may never return.

“It’s an invasion of privacy on so many levels. Even on the opt-out form we have to sign our name and who we’re with, which violates the therapist patient confidentiality.”

Representative Jacob Rosecrants says patients have every right to be upset.

“They don’t want this out there,” Rep. Rosecrants said. “They don’t believe the government has any right to have a look at this information which should remain private.”

Rep. Rosecrants says people in the legislature are listening to the concerns.

“If we’re going to do a health information exchange, we must make sure that mental health therapists and their patients are protected,” he said.

Sentiments like this are everything to counselors like Walker.

“It gives me hope. Hope that they’re hearing us,” she said. “Our job is not done yet.”

The Oklahoma Healthcare Authority is set to have a board meeting this Wednesday to discuss the Statewide Health Information Exchange.