A closer look: Listing of medical visits on BAR raises privacy concerns

For the numerous students who rely on their parents or guardians
to pay their BAR accounts every month, the services billed from the
Ashe Center can bring up certain confidentiality issues.

When students receive treatment or get medication from the Ashe
Center, the bill gets posted straight to their BAR accounts.

Although the BAR statement does not list the specific services
the patient went in for, some students may still find it
uncomfortable to explain to their parents why they visited the Ashe
Center.

“I can envision a situation that may be
uncomfortable,” said Aaron Streets, a fifth-year physics and
art student. “Students may not want to tell their parents why
they went in to the Ashe Center.”

For the other students who handle their own BAR accounts, the
Ashe Center’s system is generally efficient.

“It’s not a problem for me,” said Mohit Lad, a
third-year graduate student. “I’m fine with them
posting a visitation statement.”

According to Michele Pearson, director of ancillary services at
the Ashe Center, students cannot pay up front because there is no
cashier to handle the payments and because “having money in a
facility raises the danger risk.”

The only exception to this rule is for birth control pills, in
which case women who do not want their parents finding out about
the pills can pay on the spot, before the bills get forwarded to
their respective BAR accounts.

“Sexual activity among college students is a very
sensitive issue,” Pearson said. “We try our best to
accommodate that.”

Although parents can call in and get information about billing,
Pearson said confidentiality is a priority when it comes to
personal medical information.

“We cannot discuss anyone’s medical case over the
phone,” Pearson said, adding that parents are usually very
cooperative with the Ashe Center’s confidentiality
policy.

Anh Do, a third-year math student, said, “I think (the
Ashe Center) is respectful of student confidentiality … I’m
not worried about my privacy there.”

If students are still uncomfortable with their parents having
access to their billing, there is a way to secure this information
so that only the students can get to it.

According to Pearson, every student has signed a waiver of
privacy rights about medical billing before coming to UCLA.

This waiver, which allows parents to get medical billing
information just by calling, can be canceled by contacting the
Student Accounting Office.

Once the waiver is canceled, no information about billing can be
given out to anyone without the student’s consent.

While some students may find this to be an efficient solution to
their confidentiality problems, others consider it unfair for the
parents.

“If the parents are running the BAR account, they have
a right to know,” Streets said.