When Matthew Bridges received his prescription from a pharmacist, he felt self-conscious. He said he wishes the pharmacist would have handed him the prescription confidentially instead of calling it aloud.

“I think this is a problem that needs to be looked at,” the computer science junior said. “Anytime medical information is publicly made available, it’s a problem.”

A new bill being introduced into the House aims to increase confidentiality between pharmacists and patients.

Rep. Judie Scranton, R-Brighton, said she has been working on this bill for more than five years.

“The pharmacy employees cannot release the name of the drug,” Scranton said. “They can’t stand there and say, ‘Here’s your Viagra.’ That’s embarrassing - and that’s literally what has happened.”

This bill basically ensures that the pharmacist keeps the client’s information confidential, specifically, that he or she does not announce the type of medication aloud.

The law already includes provisions that ensure confidentiality between pharmacists and consumers - requiring the information only to be given out to medical professionals, but Scranton said this bill takes it one step further.

“The big issue is that the pharmacy cannot tell people who don’t need to know,” she said.

But Greg Baran, director of Governmental Affairs for Michigan Pharmacists Association, said the law as it is now is sufficient.

“It’s really an issue of people trying to legislate common sense,” Baran said. “I would hope that pharmacists would not be out there announcing your medications.”

But Wendy Wagenheim, spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said she thinks the bill simply helps to ensure privacy.

“The less we expect privacy, the more court decisions we’re getting that diminish our privacy rights,” Wagenheim said. “There are several types of medications used for many different purposes, like birth control pills - which aren’t used for only family planning but for a variety of medical reasons.

“It doesn’t indicate that you are sexually active - but if you are and are on birth control, you wouldn’t want anyone knowing about it.”

Social science education junior Justin Wesley said he has never encountered this problem, but would be embarrassed if his medical information was made public.

“If a doctor has to keep information confidential, then a pharmacist doesn’t have the right to make it public,” Wesley said. “I pick up my dad’s prescriptions a lot and I’d be embarrassed and self-conscious if this happened to me.”