Wood Badge and The Medical Release

[Its Me]

I will soon take the Wood Badge training course. The council sent me a medical release forum to be filled out by me and a licensed health-care practitioner. Now I don't especially mind having to get a doctor's Ok to hike and camp but as for the rest I am little taken back. Why, in age of private health care records, must I delineate when my tonsils were removed or whether I have ever had a skin rash? I will be turning this into the head trainer that will pass it along to who know who. And this information seems only to establish a preexisting ailment for the purposes of legal matters. I highly doubt that this self proclaimed information would play a prominent roll in my emergency care treatment.

 

 

[Eamonn]

It's a class 3 medical form.

One size fits all.

Eamonn

[John-in-KC]

Think of us over-40 types. Class 3 check-up is annual requirement.

 

I, for one, am happy BSA forces me to spend my health insurance for preventive vice reactive medical care. The benefits are part of my policy (provided by my employer but paid for about 1/2 by me). I probably would be too lazy to use them if I was not forced to.

[eisely]

Just as with the youth, it is important that information on medications and other conditions be in the hands of responsible adults in case anything bad happens. What if you are a diabetic and unconscious due to an accident and nobody is aware of this? There are some things about me I want the other adults to know.

[fritolazy]

If you are concerned about your medical privacy, why not do the following:

 

1. get a large envelope that will hold your medical form.

2. put your name on the outside and mark it "open only in an emergency"

3. take the envelope and the form to the Woodbadge session. Show that your form has been filled out and then seal it in the envelope. Turn it in.

4. When it is returned, it should be sealed up...unless you had a problem.

 

We have done this and it works for those who are concerned. PS, I found out that I was a diabetic during my woodbadge physical many years ago. It does serve a purpose.

[NeilLup]

Privacy of medical forms is taken extremely seriously at Wood Badge. For our last two courses, the medical officer was a registered nurse who kept and reviewed all medical forms, noted any situations which might cause problems and gave a condensed summary of those to the appropriate people (Course Director, Troop Guide for that person's patrol). She kept all the forms under her control and returned them to the participants when the course was over.

 

Having said that, playing "I've got a secret" about the medical form just isn't a good idea. On one course, a woman showed up demanding to be in the same patrol with her husband or both would go home right away. Turns out she was essentially blind. When we ask where that was on the medical form (sent in early), the answer was "You have no need to know that."

 

The staff tries to create patrols with balance and diversity. One of those factors is the medical situation. The Class 3 medical is required because WB can be physically challenging to some people.

 

You don't need to worry. The WB staff wants medical info only for your benefit.

[Its Me]

I wasn't specifically taking a stab at Wood Badge training. I purposely posted here in Issues and Politics instead of the adult leader training forum because it is not unique to Wood Badge training. Recent changes in US laws [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)] strongly protect patient issues. I suspect that asking if I have ever had a skin problem or similar non disabling issue is no longer subject to disclosure. I believe that under the new laws that if my medical doctor releases me unconditional or conditionally that is all that may be divulged. Maybe I am cynical, but it seems that all these self divulging medical forms play more of a roll as a legal release and establishing pre-existing conditions than for the pure pursuit of my medical treatment.

 

 

 

[NeilLup]

The applicability of HIPPA was discussed thoroughly at recent WB Course Director's Development Conferences. The conclusion was that it did not apply because WB is not providing medical treatment for compensation. However, medical forms are still held strictly confidential and the purpose it not to establish preexisting conditions for insurance purposes but rather to enable appropriate accomodations to be made for individuals whose medical situation might impact their Scouting experience.

 

There was also a discussion of a change in medical permission forms in light of HIPPA. At least one example was given where a Scout was injured, taken to an emergency room with properly executed medical forms, treated and then when the SM asked "Well how is he?" the SM was told "We can't tell you. Your permission form authorizes you to obtain treatment and we did that. However, it doesn't authorize you to obtain information on the treatment. At this point, only the boy's parents can get that information." So it was suggested that medical permission forms be modified to contain permission to receive information on HIPPA by unit leaders.

 

Our nurse/medical officer said that in these cases, the ER personnel are likely just being lazy. However, with the modified form, they have no leg to stand on.

[evmori]

HIPPA doesn't apply to the BSA. The medical forms are required to ensure you are fit (or list restrictions) for the type of camping you are doing and to be used as a reference in case a medical emergency arises.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[John-in-KC]

Ed, it may not apply to BSA, BUT... if a unit is hours out of position from home (high adventure expedition) and youth/adult is hospitalized, HPPA applies to the hospital. It's worth it for BSA to look at changing...

[Owl62]

BSA Medical forms are not unique to Wood Badge. There is a requirement for them for most Scouting activities. And I fully understand the need for the information. But my concern is how the forms are managed.

 

In our council, we are even required to submit a copy of our immunization record with the medical record for summer camp.

 

And I am not sure that HIPPA does not apply - the act is a a little unclear about it. It appears that most of the controls in HIPPA has to do with the transfer of protected healthcare informion, especially electronicall. But there are other state and federal laws regarding healthcare records that may and probably apply.

 

If a healthcare provider (EMT, Nurse, doctor, etc) is providing healthcare at a Scouting activity such as a camporee, etc, it appears that the BSA could then be considered a healthcare provider - although I am not sure of the legal status of that.

 

What I have noticed lately is that when those forms are turned in to activity staff, including Wood Badge, they are NOT returned. I know I never got mine back at the conclusion of my course and no one has ever been able to tell me what happened to it. No one could tell me where it was, how it was stored, who the custodian of those records is, or who has access to them. When I called council, they simply told me they were stored in a secure manner with access limited - but not who had access.

 

I have even seen and heard Scouting activity staff discussing the health condition(s) of an activity attendee with the attendee in front of others. Totally inappropriate in my opinion.

 

I for one am very concerned about BSA Medical forms. I think that there needs to be a privacy policy developed by the BSA for those forms and that we be provided a copy of that each time we have to submit a medical form. I think we are entitled to know who has the forms, where and how they are stored, who the custodian is, who has access to themm, and what the disposition of the forms is when they are no longer needed.

 

With all the emphasis on privacy and ID theft, etc, out there, I think we need to be concerned about these forms - and many just hand them over with little or no concern about it.

 

Does anyone one what the official BSA policy is for medical forms?

 

 

[FScouter]

I can see there might be some embarassment if one had to discuss certain personal medical issues with the girl behind the counter. Social Security numbers should be restricted. Other than that, what other kinds of bad things might happen if an unauthorized person discovered the health history of an individual?

[Vicki]

When I attended Wood Badge (C-12-04 Bear) we got our forms back in an envelope.

 

Also, I have never put my Social Security number on the medical form. That number gets out on a need-to-know basis and the BSA doesn't need it for the medical form. I'm just glad my health care provider has changed their numbering system so that my SS# isn't my ID number anymore!

 

Vicki

[Proud Eagle]

Providing a complete and accurate medical record is the responsibility of every participant in a BSA activity. If you don't want to provide the information, then there is no need for your participation.

 

This year I am finally getting my OA lodge on board with medical forms. I feel certain I will probably have to send someone home because they didn't provide us a medical form.

 

Tough. Medical forms are necessary to protect myself, the other participants and leaders, and the council. Not to mention it is needed to protect you.

 

Also, I would say retaining medical forms would be a very wise decision. The CYA factor for prior conditions is I think a legitimate issue.

 

Finally discussing conditions around others can often be a near necessity. After all, what happens if the kid with the bee alergy is out on a hike at camp, and gets stung, and the only people that know what the condition is (medic and troop leaders) are 2 miles away back in the center of camp? The answer is that the need to protect peoples lives and health is far more important than the need to protect privacy.

 

Despite all this, care should be taken to safeguard medical records and information, and only provide it on a need to know basis. Forms should be kept in secured locations and in the custody of some responisble adult. Medical information should only be given others to the extent needed to protect life and health of the individual participants, the group, and the group's leaders.

 

Keep in mind that BSA requires certain people to know about the medical conditions of those participating in activities they supervise, such as a person supervising an aquatics activity. (Meaning not just the camp medic, but also the person supervising swimming should know about medical conditions for anyone that is swimming.)

 

If you withold needed information, you put not only yourself, but others, at risk.

[Eamonn]

I have used the information from the medical forms that Wood Badge participants have sent in to ensure that participants with special needs are accommodated as well as could be: Near bathrooms, Sites that require less walking, a seat near the front and so on.

I contacted these participants before the start of the course to try and get some idea of how much or how little help they might need.

I also contacted people with dietary restrictions, to find out what they expected from us. Hunting for Soy milk in the back of no where is no fun, and yes it has happened!!

At times it is a tough call, I remember one Cub Scout Wood Badge, where the Cubmaster had put all the less than able bodied participants in one Den. They quickly worked this out and started calling themselves The Wounded Foxes.

There are some handicaps or illnesses that are never mentioned. There seems to be more and more diabetics attending Wood Badge, most when I called them and asked if they had any special needs, said that they were OK with watching what they ate and other than us being aware they needed nothing from us. I had a guy who had just had a surgery which left him suffering from very bad diarrhea, he just needed to be in a site close to the bathroom.

We have had people who have a real hard time getting from point A to point B, we don't allow cars on site so they had to be transported in the camp truck, by one of the QM's

My goal when I was a Course Director was to have the participants get the most that they could out of the course. If that meant meeting their needs, we done our best.

Medical Forms did a lot to help me meet the needs of each participant. The forms and the information that they contained was shared on a need to know basis. After I had contacted the participant. The forms were kept in the camp health lodge and returned after the course. Reading health forms is not up there as one of my favorite activities and I have to admit that some people who had listed something on the form were very uneasy talking about it on the phone, when I called.

Life would be so much easier if we brought back the 30 day meeting.

Eamonn.