During my first (and only) consultation with Dr. Laurence S. Lorefice, I experienced what I believe to be a clear violation of my HIPAA rights. Dr. Lorefice also belittled and gaslighted me and was condescending, invalidating, and dismissive, often adopting a tone more appropriate for a therapist, even though he is not one. It was the most vile appointment I've ever had with a psychiatrist. I began advocating for myself in response to his condescending and invalidating tone, but the consultation still took a troubling turn toward the end.
In what I believed to be a confidential medical setting, I disclosed that I live in an emotionally abusive household. Despite the sensitive nature of this information, Dr. Lorefice asked if he could ask my mother (who drove me only because I am recovering from stomach surgery and could not drive at the moment) a few questions after asking me some. I agreed, assuming he intended to ask general health questions or discuss logistics. However, once she entered the room, he proceeded to tell my mom, in front of me, that I said that there was emotional abuse happening at home as well as his personal opinions of my situation after asking her questions about me. I was shocked and deeply distressed by this disclosure, which left me feeling exposed and unsafe in both the appointment and my home environment. This disclosure was not only a breach of my confidentiality and HIPAA protections, but also an action that could have seriously endangered my emotional and physical safety at home. As an adult (24 years old), my health information is protected under the HIPAA, which prohibits covered entities from disclosing protected health information (PHI) without explicit, informed consent. This incident has led me to question how many other patients may have been placed in similarly unsafe situations by Dr. Lorefice's actions. I find this conduct to be deeply inappropriate and dangerous, and I believe this review is important to warn people that he is not professional and was in fact harmful to me. read more