HIPAA VIOLATION

Nurses HIPAA

Published

Hi, I have a question...I was being harassed via email by some former friends and at my wits end, I threatened to publish their medical records on Facebook and tag them (clearly it was an empty threat). Nervous and vindictive, they called the personell department at my job and I was fired although I had no intentions on doing so nor did I ever access their information. I was told that I was terminated because I made the threat, they didn't even look at my computer records to see that i wasn't lying. I also asked if I would have known nothing about the email or what was going on what would have happened and they told me I would have still been terminated. I did not have access to Medical Records, but I found in the meeting that I'd access to claims data. Is this lawful and was this a violation of HIPAA, as they stated?

Specializes in med surg home care PEDS.

Are you kidding me, first and foremost this is one of the most unethical acts I have ever heard a nurse perform, you deserve to be fired and probably should have you license pulled for a while, if I was your boss I would have reported you to the board of nursing, you use you position of trust and power to threaten someone, I seriously think you need help

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Could be. But if trolling, I have to at least give him/her credit for spelling HIPAA correctly. :)

I agree!!!!!!!! :yeah::yeah:

It's really to bizzare to be real.......but then again????:uhoh3:

Sounds like a high school kid with a part time job did something stupid......:smokin:

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Putting aside what the boss did, I'm surprised the "evil, harassing" victims didn't more. If I would have been threatened like that I would of contacted the BON myself.

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I would just like to believe that none of my fellow nurses would be stupid enough to make this kind of threat and then stupid x2 to put this kind of threat in writing... Hope its a joke.

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Okay,

I haven't posted much. I'm just starting my BSN program next month. However, I have been working in a professional setting the last 15 years. In my experience:

1) I keep personal e-mail accounts separate from my work e-mail (not clear OP did this, just a rule of thumb I personally follow) and never access personal e-mail at work (just in case a friend sends a bad joke or an upsetting e-mail that can affect my emotions throughout my workday).

2) As others have suggested, you can block unwanted e-mails, if they are not crossing any legal boundaries. If they do, I always reply something to the effect of "your e-mail was unsolicited and I consider it harrassment....future e-mails from you will be saved and I will seek legal action where applicable by law...." This in itself usually stops the offending/harassing e-mails.

Unbelievable! Even I already had to take a HIPAA class and sign off before accepting my internship.

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This has to be a joke...

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Thank you all for your comments (constructive and not) yes it is a lesson learned on many levels and as one poster stated, no I was not a nurse or in the medical field but a member of administrative staff. I usually exercise better judgement, but this time I did not and no I didn't really have any intent on posting any records it was merely a matter of "leave me the hell alone" I never want to taunt anyone about their circumstances because it could be anyone, but at the same time we are all human and have limits. Again, I did not have access to medical records, but found in the meeting that I had access to claims data.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Hmmm...so you are saying that you never want to taunt anyone about their circumstances, (and you did just that by your threats) but at the same time, we are all human and have limits. You further state that you did not have access to medical records, but the former friends of yours did not know this.

Don't you think that the above scenario is akin to a police officer pointing an empty gun at someone? The threat is real. The person at the end of the barrel doesn't know that the gun is empty, but YOU know it is empty. The officer has been pushed to their limit, and they are human. So where's the harm? Right?

WRONG ON EVERY POINT. You cannot use your position in society to level threats against someone, NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCE.

If this isn't a homework assignment for ethics class, or is not a troll, I will probably be seeing your name in print. This makes for a great news story.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

whoa whoa whoa. You are in administration???? Yea, this makes this situation all the more worse. Not saying its ok for a nurse to do this, but administration??? They are the ones that make the rules that WE FOLLOW!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych.

When I read the replies it amazes and disgusts me how many judgmental, self-righteous and bitter people there are in nursing profession. Like a bunch of snakes.

The person made a mistake. Wrong? Yes. Unprofessional and Unethical? Yes. Stupid and immature? Yes. Deserves punishement? Yes.

He is already punished. He is sharing his experience in the forum and is trying to get better understanding of the situation and reevaluate his believes and actions. This is how a person can better themselves.

Is it necessary to attack the person with "you should be thrown in jail" etc. What purpose does it serve? Are you trying to boost your self-esteem? Are you without sin?

When I read such responses I think to myself that I don't want any of these spiteful people to be my nurse, friend, coworker or anybody in my surrounding.

What happened to understanding and forgiveness?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

whoa whoa whoa. You are in administration???? Yea, this makes this situation all the more worse. Not saying its ok for a nurse to do this, but administration??? They are the ones that make the rules that WE FOLLOW!

Administrative probably means more like a secretary type position, as in administrative assistant.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

When I read the replies it amazes and disgusts me how many judgmental, self-righteous and bitter people there are in nursing profession. Like a bunch of snakes.

The person made a mistake. Wrong? Yes. Unprofessional and Unethical? Yes. Stupid and immature? Yes. Deserves punishement? Yes.

He is already punished. He is sharing his experience in the forum and is trying to get better understanding of the situation and reevaluate his believes and actions. This is how a person can better themselves.

Is it necessary to attack the person with "you should be thrown in jail" etc. What purpose does it serve? Are you trying to boost your self-esteem? Are you without sin?

When I read such responses I think to myself that I don't want any of these spiteful people to be my nurse, friend, coworker or anybody in my surrounding.

What happened to understanding and forgiveness?

Hmm. Were we reading the same thread? I didn't see a lot of judgmental, self-rightous or bitter people posting. What I saw were nurses who were responding to someone they thought may be another nurse, who violated our code of ethics.

I thought most of their comments were appropriate - what the poster did was wrong, whether he was a nurse or not, but if he was, it could affect his license and certainly his employer had a right to fire him.

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