0013 Going to the Drugstore

0013 Going to the Drugstore.mp3
0013 Going to the Drugstore.pdf

[start of story]

I stopped by the drugstore last night on my way back home from work. I had a few toiletries to pick up, as well as my prescription. Fortunately, the chain pharmacy where I go has a little bit of everything: food, greeting cards, magazines – it’s almost as big as a regular supermarket.

To begin with, I needed to get some medications for my allergies. I've got hay fever, so I'm sneezing up a storm every morning when I wake up. While I was at it, I also got some antacids and some Band-Aids. Now it was time to pick up my refill.

I stood in line for a few minutes before being waited on. Since it was not a new prescription, the pharmacist didn't have to do a consultation with me. I just gave the clerk my insurance card and she rang up the sale. Fortunately, I have a low co-pay, so my HMO foots most of the bill.

[end of story]

Now let’s talk about some of the words we used in our discussion of going to the drugstore. Let’s start with that term “drugstore.” A “drugstore” is the same as a “pharmacy.” We could say that the word “drugstore” is synonymous with pharmacy. It means the same thing.

I said that I “stopped by” the drugstore last night. “To stop by” means that you are going somewhere, but before you go to that place, you go somewhere else first. For example, I was going to my friend’s house over in Beverly Hills, and, on my way there, I stopped by a store in West Los Angeles to pick up a bottle of wine. “To stop by somewhere, then, means to go somewhere before you go somewhere else. It implies that you may or may not have been planning on doing that.

I said that I was coming back from work. I said, “I was on my way home.” “To be on your way” means to be going in that direction. I’m on my way to the store, for example. Now, normally we use the preposition “to” after the phrase “on your way,” but the word “home” is an exception. There’s no “to.” You just say, “I was on my way home.” For most other places, however, you have to add a “to” after the phrase “on my way,” such as “I am on my way to the hospital” or “I am on my way to buy a nice big hamburger.” Oh, that sounds good!

I said that I had to pick up some “toiletries.” “Toiletries” (toiletries) refers to anything that you would use in your bathroom. The word “toilet” and “bathroom” are often used to mean the same thing in the United States. Technically, of course, “toilet” is just the thing you use to do, well, what you normally do in a restroom or bathroom.

I said I had to “pick up” some toiletries. “To pick up” means to buy, to obtain, to get. It’s a two-word phrasal verb – “to pick up.” One of the things I had to get was my “prescription.” A “prescription” (prescription) is what the doctor gives you for some illness or some sickness. A prescription drug is something that you can only get with the doctor’s note, and that note is called a “prescription.” But we often use the term prescription to indicate both the drug as well as the note or piece of paper the doctor has to sign, or put his signature on.

I said that the pharmacy I went to was a “chain pharmacy.” When we talk about a “chain (chain) store,” we mean that there is more than one of these stores. There’s more than one “branch” (branch). So McDonald’s is a “chain’ restaurant, because there are thousands of branches, or in this case, restaurants, that are called McDonald’s. They all belong to the same company or group of owners.

Here in Southern California, there are many chain grocery stores. You can also have chain bookstores or a chain shoe store, or for any kind of business that sells things. You can even have a chain service business, such as a place that cleans clothes or cuts your hair.

I said that the pharmacy had a little bit of everything, including “greeting cards.” “Greeting cards” is a general term that means any sort of card that you would buy for someone to give them for some special reason, some special occasion. It could be a birthday card, a Christmas card, an anniversary card, or any type of special event card. A greeting card could also be for someone you love. I used to give my wife greeting cards all the time to say how much I love her. I still do, being the good husband that I am, right? Anyway, all of these are called “greeting cards.”

But I didn’t go to the drugstore to buy greeting cards. I went to there to get some “medications.” The term “medications” (medications) simply refers a type of drug. There are two basic kinds of medication you can buy in a drugstore or pharmacy. There are prescription medications, which require permission from your doctor, and there are “over-the-counter” medications. “Over-the-counter medications” are medications or drugs that you can buy that you do not need a doctor’s prescription for. Examples of over-the-counter drugs include cold medicines, cough medicine, medicine for your stomach, and certain pain killers, things you take for when you have a headache. Sometimes we call these by their initials, “OTC,” meaning “over-the-counter.”

I said that I needed to get some medications for my “allergies.” “Allergies” (allergies) are when your body reacts to different things it eats or smells or touches. It’s a negative reaction. You can have an allergy to animals, like dogs or cats. I, for example, have a cat allergy. So, whenever I’m close to a cat, I sneeze - “Achoo!” that’s a sneeze. That’s an allergy or an “allergic reaction.” You can have other kinds of allergic reactions. Some problem may appear on your skin. You may have red bumps on your skin, red marks on your skin. That might also be a reaction to something that you ate or smelled or touched. You can have an allergy to certain kinds of plants. You can have allergies to different foods. I also have an allergy to crab and lobster, which is too bad, because I used to love eating that kind of food but I can’t anymore. I developed an allergy as an adult.

Another type of allergy is called “hay fever.” “Hay (hay) fever” is an allergy to different plants and, well, I have that, too. My wife thinks I have an allergy to work as well. That’s probably true.

Well, when I have hay fever, I sneeze. I said I was “sneezing up a storm.” “To sneeze up a storm” means to sneeze a lot. A “storm” is normally when you have a lot of rain or a lot of wind. So, “to sneeze up a storm” is a metaphor, an expression that we use comparing one thing to another.

I said that “While I was at it, I also got some antacids and some Band-Aids.” This expression “while I was at it” means since I was doing something at the same time, that was in the same place, or that was somehow similar, I did something else. For example, you may say, “Could you go to the store and buy me some milk? And while you’re at it, could you also get me some cereal for breakfast?” So “while you’re at it” means “while you’re also doing something else, please do this as well.”

I said that, “While I was at it, I also got some Antacids.” “Antacids” (antacids) are to help your stomach when you are not feeling well when you eat something that makes your stomach feel weird, feel funny, or makes your stomach hurt. You could take an antacid. I also mentioned buying “Band-Aids.” “Band-Aids” is technically a brand of bandages in the United States. A “brand” (brand) means one particular company owns and uses the rights to that name. “Apple,” for example, is a brand of computers. “Coca-Cola” is a brand of soda pop.

There is a brand of bandages is called “Band-Aids.” But they’re so popular that now, many of us call almost all bandages “Band-Aids,” even when they’re made by a different company. There are different companies that make bandages. Bandages are things you would put on your skin. For example, if you cut yourself, you would put a bandage or a Band-Aid on to protect the area where you cut your skin.

I said I had to pick up a “refill.” A “refill” (refill) is a prescription that the doctor says you can get more than once or a drug that you can take multiple times – many times. So, for example, I have a prescription for my allergies, and I have five “refills.” That means I can go back to the pharmacy after I wait a few weeks, usually, and get a bottle of the allergy medicine. I can do that five times. I have five refills. After that, I have to go back to the doctor to get another prescription to get more drugs. So, “to refill a prescription” means to get more of a drug that you have already taken before.

I said I stood in line for a few minutes before being “waited on.” That expression “to stand in line” means to be in line. “To be waited on” is an expression you often hear in a restaurant, but we also use the phrase for any sort of service situation, any place where someone is going to help you, such as in a store or at the post office.

I said that the pharmacist didn’t have to do a consultation with me. A “pharmacist“ is the person who, of course works at a pharmacy. We used to have a term, “druggist” (druggist), to refer to someone who worked at a drugstore, but now, you normally just hear the word “pharmacist.” To become a pharmacist, you have to go to a special kind of medical school called a “pharmacy school” where you will get a degree in pharmacy. You need that to dispense drugs. “To dispense” (dispense) means to give out, usually to give out a drug or some kind of medicine. When you have a new prescription, when you’re using a drug for the first time, the pharmacist will have “consultation” with you. A “consultation” just means that they tell you what the drug is, what you should use it for, and how you should use it. In our story, I am not picking up a new prescription drug. I’m picking up a refill so I don’t need a consultation.

I said that “I gave the clerk my insurance card and she rang up the sale.” The term “clerk” means anyone who works at a store, usually the person who takes your money, the person who, as I say in the story, “rings up” your sale. “To ring up a sale” means to process the sale, to take your money, to put the money into what’s called a “cash register,” which is the place where the store keeps its money. The clerk will also give you a receipt for your purchase, for the things that you bought, usually a little piece of paper, although nowadays, some stores say they can email you your receipt. I’ve had that happen, at least once or twice.

I also said that I had a “low co-pay.” “Co-pay” stands for “co-payment.” When you have medical insurance in the United States, usually you have to pay a small amount of money every time you go to the doctor and every time you pick up a prescription. It’s not the same amount you would pay if you did not have insurance. It’s always less than that. The insurance company pays for most of the cost of the drug or most of the cost of the doctor’s visit. But you usually have to pay maybe five, ten, perhaps twenty dollars of the cost of the drug or of the visit. That’s called a “co-pay.”

I said that “My HMO foots most of the bill.” “HMO” stands for “Health Maintenance Organization.” In the United States, an “HMO” is a private company that provides you, that gives you, medical service. They have doctors, they have hospitals, they have pharmacies, and you buy insurance so that you can be a member of the “HMO.” Not everyone is a member of an “HMO.” Many people in the United States can’t afford, do not have money for, the private insurance, so they have to go to a public clinic or hospital.

I said that my HMO “foots most of the bill.” “To foot (foot) the bill” means to pay for, to take care of the expense or the cost. “Who’s going to foot the bill for tonight’s dinner?” That means “Who’s going to pay for tonight’s dinner?” It’s an informal expression. (And, no, I’m not going to foot the bill for dinner tonight!)

Glossary
drugstore – a store that sells medicine and medical supplies, and often cosmetics, magazines, greeting cards, and some types of food

• Valencia went to the drugstore to buy medicine for her headache.

toiletry – a category of products used to clean oneself

• Desmond needed to buy a few toiletries, such as shampoo and toothpaste.

prescription – a type of medication or treatment that one needs a doctor’s permission to get

• Juana got a prescription from her doctor for a stronger pain reliever when the ones she bought at the drugstore didn’t get rid of her back pain.

chain – a store, restaurant, or other business with the same name that is available in more than one location

• Jin likes to go to this chain restaurant, because no matter where he travels, he can always find a location and order his favorite dishes.

medication – medicine; legal drugs used to treat medical conditions

• Carmelo needed medication to treat his flu symptoms.

allergy – an unusual and negative response that the body has to a substance that does not usually cause a negative response in most people

• Latrice has an allergy to peanuts, causing her throat to become swollen whenever she eats something with peanuts in it.

hay fever – seasonal allergy to plants or flowers; a condition that causes one to have problems with one’s eyes and nose when around certain types of plants or flowers

• When the pollen count is high, many people start to get hay fever.

to sneeze – to rapidly and unintentionally force air out of the nose or mouth

• The room was very dusty and anyone who entered it started sneezing.

up a storm - doing something with a lot of energy; doing something with a lot of interest and enjoyment

• Louisa and Ling had not seen each other in five years, and when they met up again, they talked up a storm.

antacid – a small tablet or pill used to treat problems caused by stomach acid (a chemical that causes irritation)

• Some of Juan’s favorite foods bothered his stomach, so instead of not eating those foods, he took an antacid whenever he had them.

Band-Aid – a bandage with a center section of soft material to cover a small cut and two sides that stick to the skin to protect it while it heals

• Alyssa had a small scratch on her finger, so she put a Band-Aid on it.

refill – a supply of medicine that is given to a patient after the first supply has been used

• When the medicine for Kenneth’s heart condition was gone, he went to the store to get a refill.

pharmacist – someone who is trained to prepare legal drugs used to treat medical conditions and who prepares those drugs for a patient’s use

• The pharmacist was able to answer Catherine’s questions about the right way to use the medicine she was buying.

consultation – a discussion with a professional to get advice or guidance; a discussion a customers has with a pharmacist on the correct and best use of medicine

• All of the customer’s questions about the medicine were answered during the consultation.

co-pay – a small amount of money that one pays for medical services when another part of the payment is paid by an insurance company (a company that pays for health and medical expenses)

• The insurance company will pay most of the bill, but Terrance still has to pay a co-pay of $10 for each visit with his doctor.

HMO – Health Maintenance Organization; personal health insurance; a business that pays part of the cost or the full cost for certain medical bills of its customers, in exchange for a monthly or yearly fee

• Debi felt very lucky to be a member of an HMO when she had to have surgery, because the HMO paid for most of her medical bills.

to foot the bill – to pay a bill or fee; to pay money owed

• Florencio likes to go out to dinner with friends, but doesn’t like to foot the bill.

Culture Note
Waiting at the Pharmacy

At the pharmacy, about a meter and a half from the counter where you pick up your “prescriptions” (drugs the doctor gives you), you may see a small sign or “mat” (something you stand on that protects the floor or surface under it) that reads:

Please Wait Here / You’re NEXT / Respect Patient Privacy

“Please wait here” is clear enough. It means “Don’t go any farther! Stop here!” “You’re next” is telling you that you will be the next person who is helped at the counter. “Respect Patient Privacy” is a little more “involved” (complicated).

“To respect” means, in this case, to observe, to be careful of, or to look out for. “Patients” are people who are sick and need to see a doctor. “Privacy” comes from private, meaning to keep things secret from other people, not to let other people know your personal information. The reason the sign says “Respect Patient Privacy” is that the hospital doesn’t want us to stand too close to the patient at the counter. If we do, we could hear their private medical information, which is none of our concern.

There is a reason why hospitals and pharmacies have these signs now. In the early 2000’s, the U.S. government passed a set of laws to protect people’s personal medical information so that it would not be given to others without their permission. The law is called HIPAA, which stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It was meant in part to protect people’s privacy when it comes to medical information. If you look closely at those pharmacy signs or mats, you may see the words “HIPAA Compliant,” meaning that this sign or mat meets the requirements of the HIPAA law. “To be compliant” means that you or your organization is doing the things necessary to obey a certain law.

[故事的开始]

昨晚我在下班回家的路上顺便去了趟药店。我有一些洗漱用品要买，还有我的处方。幸运的是，我去的这家连锁药店什么都有：食品、贺卡、杂志--它几乎和普通超市一样大。

首先，我需要买一些治疗过敏的药物。我有花粉症，所以我每天早上起床后都会打一个喷嚏。在这期间，我还买了一些抗酸剂和一些创可贴。现在是时候去拿我的补药了。

我排了几分钟的队，然后就有人在等我。由于这不是一个新的处方，药剂师不需要对我进行咨询。我只是把我的保险卡给了店员，然后她就把销售记录记了下来。幸运的是，我的共付额很低，所以我的HMO承担了大部分的费用。

[故事结束]

现在让我们来谈谈我们在讨论去药店时使用的一些词语。让我们从 "药店 "这个词开始。"药店 "与 "药房 "是一样的。我们可以说 "药店 "这个词是药房的同义词。它意味着同样的事情。

我说我昨晚 "路过 "了药店。"顺道 "意味着你要去某个地方，但在你去那个地方之前，你先去了别的地方。例如，我要去我朋友在比佛利山庄的房子，在去那里的路上，我在西洛杉矶的一家商店停下来，买了一瓶酒。"那么，在某地停留，意味着在你去其他地方之前先去某地。它意味着你可能已经计划去做那件事，也可能没有。

我说，我是下班回来的。我说，"我在回家的路上"。"在路上 "的意思是要往那个方向走。比如说，我在去商店的路上。现在，通常我们在 "在路上 "这句话后面使用介词 "到"，但 "家 "这个词是个例外。这里没有 "到"。你只是说，"我在回家的路上"。然而，对于大多数其他地方，你必须在 "在路上 "这个短语后面加一个 "到"，例如 "我在去医院的路上 "或 "我在去买一个漂亮的大汉堡包的路上"。哦，这听起来不错！我说，我必须去取货。

我说，我必须去买一些 "洗漱用品"。"洗漱用品"（盥洗用品）指的是你在浴室里会用到的任何东西。在美国，"厕所 "和 "浴室 "这个词经常被用来表示同一件事。当然，从技术上讲，"马桶 "只是你用来做，嗯，你通常在洗手间或浴室做的事情。

我说我必须 "拿起 "一些卫生用品。"拿起 "意味着购买，获得，得到。这是一个两个字的短语动词--"拿起"。我必须得到的东西之一是我的 "处方"。"处方"（prescription）是医生给你治疗某种疾病或某种病症的东西。处方药是你只有在医生的说明下才能得到的东西，而那个说明就叫 "处方"。但是我们经常使用处方这个词，既表示药物，也表示医生必须签署的字条或纸片，或在上面签名。

我说我去的那家药店是一家 "连锁药店"。当我们谈及 "连锁（chain）店 "时，我们的意思是有不止一家这样的店。有一个以上的 "分店"（分支）。因此，麦当劳是一个 "连锁'餐厅，因为有成千上万的分店，或者在这种情况下，餐厅，被称为麦当劳。它们都属于同一家公司或业主集团。

在南加州，有许多连锁杂货店。你也可以有连锁书店或连锁鞋店，或者对于任何一种卖东西的企业。你甚至可以有连锁服务企业，比如清洗衣服或剪头发的地方。

我说，药店什么都有，包括 "贺卡"。"贺卡 "是一个笼统的术语，指的是任何一种你会为某人购买的卡片，在一些特殊的原因、特殊的场合送给他们。它可以是一张生日卡，一张圣诞卡，一张周年纪念卡，或任何类型的特殊事件卡。贺卡也可以是送给你所爱的人。我过去一直给我妻子送贺卡，说我有多爱她。我仍然这样做，因为我是一个好丈夫，对吗？总之，所有这些都被称为 "贺卡"。

但我去药店不是为了买贺卡。我去那里是为了买一些 "药物"。"药物"（medications）一词只是指一种类型的药物。有两种基本的药物，你可以在药店或药房买到。一种是处方药，需要得到医生的许可，还有一种是 "非处方药"。"非处方药 "是你可以买到的、不需要医生处方的药物或药品。非处方药的例子包括感冒药、咳嗽药、治胃病的药，以及某些止痛药，即你头痛时服用的东西。有时我们用它们的首字母 "OTC "来称呼这些药物，意思是 "非处方药"。

我说我需要买一些治疗 "过敏 "的药物。"过敏"（allergies）是指你的身体对吃的、闻的或碰的不同东西产生反应。这是一种消极的反应。你可以对动物过敏，如狗或猫。例如，我就有猫过敏症。所以，每当我靠近一只猫，我就会打喷嚏--"阿嚏！"那是一个喷嚏。那是一种过敏或 "过敏反应"。你可以有其他种类的过敏反应。一些问题可能出现在你的皮肤上。你的皮肤上可能有红色的疙瘩，皮肤上有红色的痕迹。这也可能是对你吃的、闻的或触摸的东西的反应。你可以对某些种类的植物过敏。你可以对不同的食物过敏。我也对螃蟹和龙虾过敏，这太糟糕了，因为我曾经喜欢吃那种食物，但现在不能了。我是在成年后才患上过敏症的。

另一种类型的过敏被称为 "干草热"。"干草（hay）热 "是对不同植物的过敏，嗯，我也有这种情况。我妻子认为我对工作也有过敏。这可能是真的。

好吧，当我有干草热时，我会打喷嚏。我说我是 "打喷嚏打得很厉害"。"打喷嚏的风暴 "是指打很多喷嚏。暴风雨 "通常是指你有很多雨或很多风。因此，"打喷嚏起风暴 "是一个隐喻，是我们用来将一件事与另一件事相比较的表达方式。

我说，"当我在做的时候，我还买了一些抗酸剂和一些创可贴"。这个表达方式 "当我在做的时候 "意味着由于我在同一时间、同一地点、或在某种程度上类似的地方做了一些事情，我又做了一些别的事情。例如，你可以说，"你能不能去商店给我买点牛奶？当你在做的时候，你能不能也给我买点麦片做早餐？" 因此，"当你在做的时候 "意味着 "当你也在做别的事情的时候，请你也这样做"。

我说，"当我在做的时候，我也买了一些抗酸剂"。"Antacids"（抗酸剂）是当你吃了一些让你的胃感到奇怪、感觉怪异或让你的胃痛的东西时，帮助你的胃。你可以服用抗酸剂。我还提到买 "创可贴"。"Band-Aids "在技术上是美国的一个绷带品牌。一个 "品牌"（brand）意味着一个特定的公司拥有并使用该名称的权利。例如，"苹果 "是计算机的一个品牌。"可口可乐 "是汽水的一个品牌。

有一个品牌的绷带被称为 "Band-Aids"。但它们是如此受欢迎，以至于现在，我们中的许多人把几乎所有的绷带都称为 "创可贴"，即使它们是由不同的公司制造的。有不同的公司在制造绷带。绷带是你会放在皮肤上的东西。例如，如果你割伤了自己，你会用绷带或创可贴来保护你割伤皮肤的地方。

我说我要去拿一个 "补充剂"。"笔芯"（refill）是指医生说你可以得到不止一次的处方，或者是你可以多次--多次服用的药物。因此，举例来说，我有一个治疗过敏的处方，我有五个 "笔芯"。这意味着我可以在等待几周后再去药店，通常情况下，可以得到一瓶过敏药。我可以这样做五次。我有五次补药。之后，我必须再去找医生开出另一个处方，以获得更多药物。所以，"重新填写处方 "意味着获得更多你之前已经服用过的药物。

我说我排了几分钟的队才被 "伺候"。这个表达方式 "排队 "意味着排队。"被等待 "是你在餐馆里经常听到的表达方式，但我们也把这个短语用于任何一种服务情况，任何有人要帮助你的地方，比如在商店或在邮局。

我说，药剂师不需要和我做咨询。药剂师 "是指，当然是在药店工作的人。我们过去有一个术语，"druggist"（药剂师），指的是在药店工作的人，但现在，你通常只听到 "药剂师 "这个词。要成为一名药剂师，你必须去一种特殊的医学院，称为 "药学学校"，在那里你将获得一个药学学位。你需要这样才能配药。"配药"（dispense）是指发放，通常是发放药物或某种药品。当你有一个新的处方，当你第一次使用一种药物时，药剂师会与你进行 "咨询"。咨询 "只是意味着他们告诉你这是什么药，你应该用它做什么，以及你应该如何使用它。在我们的故事中，我不是在拿一种新的处方药。我拿的是补充药，所以我不需要咨询。

我说，"我把我的保险卡给了店员，她就把销售的东西列出来了。" "店员 "一词是指在商店工作的任何人，通常是收你钱的人，也就是我在故事中所说的 "响起 "你的销售额的人。"为销售打铃 "意味着处理销售，拿你的钱，把钱放进所谓的 "收银机"，也就是商店存放钱的地方。店员也会给你一张关于你购买的东西的收据，通常是一张小纸片，尽管现在有些商店说他们可以把收据发到你的邮箱里。我就遇到过这种情况，至少有一两次。

我还说我有一个 "低共同支付"。"Co-pay "是指 "共同支付"。当你在美国有医疗保险时，通常你每次去看医生和每次拿处方时都要付一小笔钱。这不是你在没有保险的情况下要支付的相同金额。它总是比这少。保险公司支付大部分的药物费用或大部分的看病费用。但是你通常要支付可能是五美元、十美元、也许是二十美元的药物或看病费用。这被称为 "共同支付"。

我说，"我的HMO承担了大部分的费用。" "HMO "是 "健康维护组织 "的意思。在美国，"HMO "是一家私人公司，它为你提供医疗服务。他们有医生，有医院，有药房，你购买保险，这样你就可以成为 "HMO "的成员。不是每个人都是 "HMO "的成员。在美国，许多人负担不起，没有钱买私人保险，所以他们不得不去公共诊所或医院。

我说，我的HMO "支付了大部分的费用"。"支付（foot）账单 "是指支付，承担费用或成本。"谁来为今晚的晚餐埋单？" 意思是 "谁要为今晚的晚餐买单？" 这是一个非正式的表达。(而且，不，我不会为今晚的晚餐买单！）。

文化说明
在药店的等待

在药房，在离你取 "处方"（医生给你开的药）的柜台大约一米半的地方，你可能会看到一个小牌子或 "垫子"（你站在上面，保护下面的地板或表面的东西），上面写着。

请在此等候/你是下一个/尊重病人隐私

"请在此等候 "已经很清楚了。它的意思是 "不要再走远了! 停在这里！" "你是下一个 "是告诉你，你将是下一个在柜台得到帮助的人。"尊重病人的隐私 "就比较 "牵强"（复杂）了。

在这种情况下，"尊重 "意味着观察、小心或注意。"病人 "是指那些生病并需要看医生的人。"隐私 "来自私人，意思是对其他人保密，不要让其他人知道你的个人信息。牌子上写着 "尊重病人隐私 "的原因是，医院不希望我们在柜台前站得离病人太近。如果我们这样做，我们可能会听到他们的私人医疗信息，这与我们无关。

医院和药店现在有这些标志是有原因的。在21世纪初，美国政府通过了一套法律来保护人们的个人医疗信息，以便在未经他们允许的情况下不会将这些信息提供给其他人。该法律被称为HIPAA，是健康保险可携性和责任法案的缩写。它的部分目的是在涉及医疗信息时保护人们的隐私。如果你仔细观察那些药店的标志或垫子，你可能会看到 "符合HIPAA "的字样，这意味着这个标志或垫子符合HIPAA法律的要求。"符合 "意味着你或你的组织正在做遵守某项法律的必要工作。