It’s been a while since I’ve checked in Deborah Peel and her Patient Privacy Rights group. Peel has been really quiet lately – extremely quiet. She’s had a rough go of it. At HIMSS, she was basically despondent – sulking because nobody was taking her seriously. I was really concerned for her. I know Deborah Peel used to be psychiatrist – but I remember thinking at HIMSS, this woman is suffering and could really use the help.
She spent a fortune lobbying the Obama Administration for access – and got rejected. She’s given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic political causes and candidates – from Emily’s List and the DNC National Committee, to Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, Deborah Peel has dropped a small fortune into buying access and clout (she's spent more money to buy access than some Americans will make in their entire lifetime). And yet Democrats continue to snub her and her agenda.
Since HIMSS, it only seems to have gotten worse. Deborah Peel hasn’t made a single posting on her blog in over nine months (her last posting is December 31, 2009). Frankly, it’s not surprising. She doesn’t have any new ideas, but I’d at least expect her to continue screaming about her old ones. But no, Deborah Peel’s despondency continues. I’m starting to feel sorry for her.
What gets me about Deborah Peel is two things: 1) She’s against all forms of technology – except when companies give her and her group money (a kind of shakedown). And 2) Deborah Peel only focuses on patient privacy when it involves technology. When was the last time you heard Deborah Peel speak about the security of paper-based medical records? Um…never. Deborah Peel can’t make any money off paper-based records, so she ignores the obvious privacy problems. Deborah Peel doesn't care about patient privacy - she cares about making money off scarring people about patient privacy.
I guess this is all on my mind because I drove by Deborah Peel’s extravagant Washington D.C. condo last week. She bought it back when she thought she was going to be a player in Washington. Those days are long gone and the condo was dark (wonder if she still lives there now that she's been rejected by everyone in Washington). Deborah Peel is starting to look like today’s version of Lorraine Day. I pity Deborah Peel.
