--

May 24--When Steve Finn got a call on his unlisted telephone number from the University of Washington Medical Center seeking a donation, he was perplexed.

How on earth did the caller get his name and number?

Finn, a 62-year-old retired CPA who lives on Queen Anne Hill, a one-time patient at the UW, knew that a broad federal law known as HIPAA protects patient privacy. So he was astounded when the caller told him the information had come from patient records.

It seemed logical to Finn that the law, which bars patient information from being used for commercial purposes, would also bar its use for fundraising. He also wanted to know: What did the caller know about him? Was the caller a "qualified health professional" entitled to his information under the law?

And how could he get off the list?

In fact, HIPAA specifically allows medical centers to use patient information for fundraising activities, explained Richard Meeks, director of the UW's privacy program.

Information about diagnosis or treatment is off-limits, but federal and state laws allow hospitals, in most cases, to use a patient's name, address, contact information, dates of hospital service, gender, age and insurance status in fundraising efforts.

Despite being legal, the practice, widely used by other nonprofit hospitals here and across the country, has raised eyebrows before.

In part, that's because people mistakenly lump health-care fundraising with those annoying commercial telemarketing calls that interrupt dinner, says William McGinly, president and CEO of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy.

"It is a common misunderstanding," he said. "Fundraising is a part of health-care operations."

The UW's fundraising drive, which began in April and ended early this month, ultimately raised nearly $28,000, said Tina Mankowski, UW spokeswoman.

The money will help fund uncompensated care at Harborview Medical Center, she said, and pay for equipment, services and supplies at the UW Medical Center and UW Medicine's neighborhood clinics. That might mean sleeper chairs for family members visiting patients, for instance, or books on living with cancer.

"Fundraising is an important part of health care," Mankowski said. "We are not selling any goods or services -- we are a nonprofit raising funds."

The callers were primarily students under contract to the UW and trained in HIPAA privacy rules, Meeks said.