Introduction

The purpose of this blog is twofold: 1) to provide a place to share with interested readers the latest information about the effort to pass prescription privacy laws in New York similar to those upheld in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, and 2) for me to keep track of 1).

You know how it is: you see an interesting link on the internet, you click on it, you're interested, you're reading, and then you find ANOTHER link and you click on it, and off you go gliding across the internet, pushed forward as though by the crest of an ocean wave.

And most of what you read is brain candy, space filler. You smile like an infant and the hours go by. But later you think about that one truly interesting link you read --- about a small band of dedicated physicians' efforts to pass prescription privacy legislation in New York State --- and you think, where did I read that? But it's too late, you surfed past it, you're on the shore, the breakers are crashing one after another and they all look indistinguishable.

So that's what this blog is for. Separating the breakers. Plucking out the stuff that might have to do with prescription privacy and contextualizing it. The internet is our hard drive, let's be honest, that's what we use it for. So on the gigantic hard drive labeled "C:THE WORLD", this blog is in a folder labeled "Health > Medicine > Public Policy > Private Health Information > Prescription Data > New York State"

Ah, that feels better. Nothing like slapping a yellow sticky on your forehead to give you a sense of purpose and direction.