Livid...should I be??

[kellyowens]

I just got a letter in the mail from MCIR (Michigan Care Improvement Registry) informing me my son is due for his 4yr immunizations and physical...not a big deal...BUT it's under DS's *birth name* and has his birth mom's/gma's home address !! The kicker...it was addressed to me and sent to my home address which *should not* be linked to his birth name or his family's address *at all* . Funny thing...he never lived at the address listed...his bmom left him at the hospital and he went immediately to a foster home where he stayed until we adopted him. His bmom only had 2 half hour supervised visits with him at DHS (they tried repeatedly to contact her but she never showed up).

About a year ago I was told by his former foster mom that his birth mom was looking for him and wants him back (had someone calling DHS for her). I was reassured there was no way she could tie in his old name with me since he was reissued a new birth certificate and SSN...yeah well, if these people can find me, I'm sure someone else can too !

I'm not comfortable with this at this point in time. Devin has been with us for almost 3yrs...he was placed when he was 22months old. He knows he's adopted, we have a great relationship with his fmom, but I do not want contact with bmom right now.

Should I call DHS and talk with his former case worker, should I call my adoption agency, should I call MCIR??? I really am not sure which direction to pursue...any thoughts?? I'll probably end up calling them all...I am *not* happy!

Oh, for the record, DS *did* have his physical and pokes but it was under his adopted name.

[rachoochoo]

I would be really upset and wanting some answers. Lots of hugs mama.

[akhiker]

I would be really upset and wanting some answers. Lots of hugs mama.

Me too, sorry you're going through this

[kellyowens]

I called the issuing office which turned out to be his former pediatrician's office. I called the main branch and all I had to do was give her his birth name because then she said: "Kelly Owens is listed as the guarantor...are you Kelly?" .

It's possible his bmom already has the info...praying that isn't the case but if this info has been accessible for 3yrs and I *know* she's been looking for him for a year and a half it's not only possible but likely.

They said they can't delete the account but they can put an "access denied" note with it so no one can get the info...not even me (I already had copies of all of his medical records from their office transferred to my pedi). I asked if they can take my name and address off the account and she said no, they have to have a guarantor listed :S.

I'm going to call DHS and ask if there are any further steps I can take. This is just unacceptable !

[Cosmosmom]

I would be upset as well. And call all of them. My cousins who are 7 and 9 yrs old were placed with my aunts as infants and adopted by them at by age 2. I cannot imagine my aunts getting a letter like that with birth names on them....they would be livid as well.

[sunkiss]

Oh no Kelly! I'd be very upset! I'd call all of them. You never know what a birth mother could be planning to do in this type of situation and I'd want to protect him (and the rest of your family, for that matter) just like you are trying to do. That is absolutely unacceptable. Why do the Dr's need his birthname? Is it a law that you have to provide that? I'd feel uneasy about the whole thing. Especially because you're talking about someone who was capable of giving birth to a baby and then not making any effort to see him. What kind of person does that? Ugh, I'm so sorry you are going through this and I hope you can get some help on the matter.

[Smplyme89]

I would be upset as well I hope you can get it sorted

[kellyowens]

Called DHS and talked to his former case worker. He said on their end everything is secure and he had no suggestions as to other ways a birth parent might gain access to a child's adoption info.

He did recommend calling the adoption agency...called them and our former case worker is going to talk to her supervisor about it to see if there's anything more I can do. She recommended going up a level with the pediatrician and talking to the supervisor directly as well as sending a copy of his order of adoption to get his account closed.

That's what I don't understand Andrea...why would they keep an account of a patient whose care was transferred elsewhere 3yrs ago?? It doesn't make sense. And to have *my* address as the mailing address but his birth family's address as residence (which it never was)...yup, someone somewhere messed up...frustrating!

[WishingNWaiting]

Livid wouldn't begin to describe how I would feel! I would absolutely continue to escalate to an office manager or even a managing partner to make sure they know and understand the concern.

[Cosmosmom]

I think that you should talk to the dr office again and mention HIPPA. Privacy in healthcare is a HUGE deal and they could get in serious trouble for that. You are the legal parent and only YOU or your husband should be able to have any access to his information. And that includes his address. It seems to me that even that girl saying your name violates HIPPA....violating HIPPA in my hospital like that could lead to termination.

If the practice is attached to a hospital I would also file a complaint there (our pediatrics is part of the hospital system and we have a customer service department that handles these things....they should have some way to handle complaints). I would ask to speak to the supervisor and if that gets you nowhere, the director of the department.