My Home Address is on Angie's List...

[Psychiatrized]

I know I have seen posts before that people weren't aware that their NPI info was on the internet and thankfully I was aware of that.

I have recently learned that my *home address* is on Angie's List. I do not know how they got this info. I checked my state license, state prescriber's license, DEA license and NPI account and all have my office address correctly listed as my business address. I went over my copies of the applications for each of these registrations and only my state license asked me my home address and this is clearly marked as a home address with a different address listed as a business address. I called them and confirmed that this was private information.

More strangely the phone number listed as my office number on Angie's List is the number of my residency training coordinator - this is not a number that I would have put on any of the applications I have made for licensure as I have my own office phone number at work.

I was super upset 😡 and called Angie's List to have them take my profile down and ask where they got the info. They said they got it through Vitals Import but could say no more. And of course their website is cached so this info is going to hang around for a while.

As another matter of curiosity none of the other doctor websites (healthgrades, ucomparehealth, etc) have my home address listed. They list only my business address and phone number.

Aaargh! I wanted to make others aware to check themselves out (there were other residents in my program that had either their home address or home phone on Angie's but not on other doctor websites).

I'm sure that there were be some replies to the effect that I must be careless with my information but I really think I'm quite careful and if I filled out any forms I would certainly not have paired my training coordinators phone number with my home address as it was on Angie's list.

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[gutonc]

I know I have seen posts before that people weren't aware that their NPI info was on the internet and thankfully I was aware of that.

I've never quite understood people's obsession with this. there's nothing you can do to hide your NPI...it's right there on the HHS website. NPI's are virtually useless other than to sort of verify who you are. State license numbers are the same.

Whenever anyone asks me what my NPI number is, I just tell them to Google it. I've never bothered to write it down. I have no idea what it is. When I applied for privileges last year I just told the people sending me the emails to look it up themselves and they did.

I have recently learned that my *home address* is on Angie's List. I do not know how they got this info. I checked my state license, state prescriber's license, DEA license and NPI account and all have my office address correctly listed as my business address. I went over my copies of the applications for each of these registrations and only my state license asked me my home address and this is clearly marked as a home address with a different address listed as a business address. I called them and confirmed that this was private information.

More strangely the phone number listed as my office number on Angie's List is the number of my residency training coordinator - this is not a number that I would have put on any of the applications I have made for licensure as I have my own office phone number at work.

I was super upset 😡 and called Angie's List to have them take my profile down and ask where they got the info. They said they got it through Vitals Import but could say no more. And of course their website is cached so this info is going to hang around for a while.

As another matter of curiosity none of the other doctor websites (healthgrades, ucomparehealth, etc) have my home address listed. They list only my business address and phone number.

Aaargh! I wanted to make others aware to check themselves out (there were other residents in my program that had either their home address or home phone on Angie's but not on other doctor websites).

I'm sure that there were be some replies to the effect that I must be careless with my information but I really think I'm quite careful and if I filled out any forms I would certainly not have paired my training coordinators phone number with my home address as it was on Angie's list.

I assure you that anybody wishing to find your home address and knowing your full legal name could easily do so without consulting Angie's List. Or any other "professional" website. Not that you shouldn't ask them to remove or correct it. Just that, someone intent on stalking you will find you.

 

[notinkansas]

This is one of the reasons why I've used a mailbox service as my primary address for years. I've found there is usually one near a grocery store or some other place I go regularly.

This has worked out well for me. I have nothing so important that it can't wait a couple days for me to pick it up (unless I already know it's coming). They will receive packages when I'm on call or on vacation and hold them safely (and no packages sitting outside at home shouting, "Hello, thieves- nobody home here!")

I use the mailbox address for virtually everything. While I'm sure someone who was determined could track down my physical address with a little effort, it's unlikely to wind up in some data base somewhere.

 

[Psychiatrized]

gutonc - you are right that anyone intent enough could find me but I was shocked to have it so blazingly easy to find. Especially since I'm going to be working in forensic psych. Given my chosen field I think notinkansas's advice may be the way to go.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[wholeheartedly]

I'm not familiar with Angie's List in particular, but some of those review sites allow patients to add a provider themselves if the provider they want to review isn't already listed. So it might be that one of your patients actually made that with whatever information they had or could find on you.

Did the website agree to change the contact info to protect your privacy at least? It's one thing for someone really willing to search to be find that information, it's a completely different thing to have it out there so easily for anyone to see.

 

[Mr hawkings]

I'm not familiar with Angie's List in particular, but some of those review sites allow patients to add a provider themselves if the provider they want to review isn't already listed. So it might be that one of your patients actually made that with whatever information they had or could find on you.

Did the website agree to change the contact info to protect your privacy at least? It's one thing for someone really willing to search to be find that information, it's a completely different thing to have it out there so easily for anyone to see.

Angies list was designed for people to share stories and feedback about general contractors, and other home repair type stuff,. For some reason, they have decided to add healthcare to the list of services they review. Its worse than mdgrades or whatever that website was a few years ago that was doing something similar

 

[ketamine]

This is one of the reasons why I've used a mailbox service as my primary address for years. I've found there is usually one near a grocery store or some other place I go regularly.

This has worked out well for me. I have nothing so important that it can't wait a couple days for me to pick it up (unless I already know it's coming). They will receive packages when I'm on call or on vacation and hold them safely (and no packages sitting outside at home shouting, "Hello, thieves- nobody home here!")

I use the mailbox address for virtually everything. While I'm sure someone who was determined could track down my physical address with a little effort, it's unlikely to wind up in some data base somewhere.

I used to use a mailbox service as my primary address for years, but stopped when I worked with a physician who got in trouble with the DEA and the state medical board for using a mailbox service.

The government does not consider a a mailbox service as a real address and they now want to know the address where they can show up at 3am to find you.

 

[Psychiatrized]

So it might be that one of your patients actually made that with whatever information they had or could find on you.

I literally *just* moved and the only place I have updated my new home address is with the various medical licensing people, and like I said I double checked that it was listed as home and not office or business address. I can't understand how a patient would have this knowledge much less decide to put it on Angie's as my office address.

Did the website agree to change the contact info to protect your privacy at least? It's one thing for someone really willing to search to be find that information, it's a completely different thing to have it out there so easily for anyone to see.

I told them to take down my profile all together. They have removed it from their system but it remains cached.

Honestly I think the state medical board accidentally released my home address even though they deny it. I'm not even on the deed to the house so that would not put me there on a public records search.

Frustrating but I think I'm just going to have to deal with it. I hate these stupid doctor ratings sites.

 

[abmd]

Umm. okay. So i filled out my medical licence paper work and listed my home address and mobile number, was that a mistake? For what other paper should we omit our personal address/phone number?

 

[lauritajones]

Yeah, I feel like someone should have helped me through this process. A current intern just told me that she unknowingly put her own info in and got phone calls to her personal cell phone from people who googled her... I logged in and changed my business information to my residency program info, but I'm still confused because it still asks for personal contact information. Should this be the residency program's phone number/email as well??

 

[Psychiatrized]

Umm. okay. So i filled out my medical licence paper work and listed my home address and mobile number, was that a mistake? For what other paper should we omit our personal address/phone number?

If your medical license asks for you home address you have to put it (especially in light of what ketamine said above). When they ask for business and mailing address do not put your home or personal numbers here. At least my state board of medicine claims the home address is private.

Lauritajones:
I think it is common when applying to an NPI to accidentally put personal info because most new interns when they apply don't know NPI info is public and they may not know their mailing address, telephone numbers, etc of their new place of work.

 

[lauritajones]

I've been telling all of my classmates. I'm pretty sure most of us goofed on that one. I'm just still unclear about who should be our "contact person"? I still have my email address and phone number listed for that part.

 

[Mattchiavelli]

For us it was our residency coordinator's # as a contact phone and the department's office as the address

 

[Brunette1981]

I had something similar but worse happen as an intern. Back then, I had no idea that NPI stuff was searchable electronically on regular search engines so I put in my home address and cell phone (more reliable contacts for me for any licensing issues, I figured).

Somehow, one of the multiple medical search engines picked up my info and it disseminated to other search engines. So, long story short, my CELL phone number ended up on internet searches as the main phone number for the community hospital I worked at and all 250++ physicians. I had patients calling me for weeks on my cell phone to change their appt/refill their prescription/etc with Dr Smith or Harris or Jones. It was a nightmare.

Those sites let you edit information so I painlessly corrected 300 entries in my own time to the correct number. I couldn't fix them all and I had emailed the sites multiple times with no response or resolution.

The fix? I filed a BBB complaint against the websites and said their failure to correct the entries after being notified was harming not only me but patients (who couldn't contact their doctors properly). I also corrected my NPI info. Problem solved in 24 hours.

I would not have believed it was possible for my NPI cell phone info to become the contact info for my entire hospital on multiple search engines if it hadn't happened...

 

[LADoc00]

Hmm that is very very disturbing. Of course I choose to live in a bunkered compound surrounded by motion sensors and armed to the teeth, so knowing where I live wouldnt help much...but for some poor Psych doc living in a tract home in Middle America? That is a recipe for total disaster...