Medical gag orders go against free speech

Angie's Blog > February 2009 > Medical gag orders go against free speech

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Posted: 2/18/2009 12:42:06 PM By Angie | 6 comments

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How often do you actually read all the paperwork you're asked to fill out and sign at the doctor's office?
You might want to consider getting to your next appointment a few minutes early, just to make sure you've got time to read--especially if you receive a “Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy” form.

While there's only a small number of doctors that use these forms, signing the “Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy” form essentially means that you, the patient, have agreed to waive your free speech rights and won't post any doctor reviews (negative or positive) online. Anywhere on the internet: Not on Angie's List, not on Twitter--not even on your own personal blog.

In my opinion, this practice is nothing short of an attempt to stifle the consumers’ right to free speech.

What do you think?

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Comments

	Jud Scott
	Angie, I beg to differ with you Alana is absolutely correct. I received the nasty letter from Brand Enforcement via fax a month ago or so and have been hounded, threatened and bullied to the extent that you will receive our Super Service Awards delivered to your office Attn, Angie today sometime after 10:00. I am no longer interested in the Super Service Award program and am actually looking at dropping our advertisement on the list when our contract runs out. Your Brand Enforcement department has lost sight of what I had previously thought was a well run program. Jud
	5/14/2009 7:25:13 AM
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	Angie's List Staff
	Alana: You seem to have some misinformation regarding our policies. Companies are only removed from the List in instances where they have a history of verified misuse (previous violations of our trademark/copyright guidelines) or in situations where the company fails to respond to our initial communications by the appropriate deadline (10 business days). Extensions are also given to any company that needs additional time to cure the misuse. Our goal is to help service providers promote their inclusion on our list in approved ways, not to scare them into never mentioning us again. It is necessary for us to monitor the use of the trademarked Angie’s List name, as well as our logos and published content, in an effort to maintain the integrity and value of our brand. In the past, we allowed companies more freedoms in referencing the List, but unfortunately, we found that many service providers with negative ratings or no ratings at all decided to use our brand to promote their businesses. We all know that just because a company is on the List doesn’t mean that they provide excellent service; unfortunately, the reality could be quite the opposite. Additionally, a company’s ratings may change daily; thus, printing any claim of ‘high ratings’ or ‘A ratings’ may be accurate one day but not the next. We do offer various authorized means by which companies can promote their inclusion on Angie’s List. We are happy to supply approved Angie’s List links for service providers to add to their company websites. Angie’s List has also created our Super Service Award program in order to grant additional freedoms to companies on our list who maintain a consistently high rating and receive a minimum number of positive member reports throughout the year. For more information, please visit www.company.angieslist.com and click on our FAQ tab.
	2/24/2009 10:23:09 AM
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	Alana
	Wow, it sounds a lot like Angie's List. If a business on the list mentions "Angie's List" on their website- even if it is complimentary it is considered "brand infringement". Angie's List will harass, threaten and bully a small business owner into signing an admission of guilt. They also take the business out of the search listings until they comply. Seems like Angie took a wrong turn somewhere and has lost sight of what's important.
	2/23/2009 5:51:53 PM
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	Tony
	Yuck. I'm going to ask my doctor's office if I can see the required paperwork I recently signed. I'm in the majority who don't read all the documents we sign word for word. I'm sure if I had seen the header of a document title "Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy" I would have brushed it off as another HIPAA requirement and thought nothing of signing it without reading the contents. Bad, bad, bad.
	2/23/2009 4:35:56 PM
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	Cheryl
	When I'm sick, I'll sign anything to get better -- thanks for the heads up.
	2/18/2009 1:21:28 PM
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	shelly
	i'd never take the time to read that mountain of paperwork so thanks for the head's up about what might be in there. i definitely don't want to lose my right to comment on the experience!!
	2/18/2009 1:12:36 PM
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