Personal info was shared -HIPPA violation?

Nurses HIPAA

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Lucky0220

318 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surg, Acute Rehab.

To GrnTea and batmik:

Thanks for the correction!!

anniegoat

1 Post

My father passed away early August. About 8 weeks after he passed, I get a letter from hospice that said a hospice nurse had her "field notebook" stolen from a coffee shop. They called it a "security breach" I call it a huge HIPAA violation. His personal infromation and about 80 other folks were affected. I am unsure why if he passed 8 weeks prior, why his personal info would still be in there and why the offending nurse would not protect that "sensitive information" I'm talking SS#, BD everything besides medical history. They say there will be retraining. Give me a break ANY current licensed nurse should already be very savvy regarding patients personal information. It seems she left the notebook on a table in the coffeeshop, turned her back to go order her coffee and it was gone when she returned. All they told us to do was contact the 3 large credit agencies and submit a death certificate(I had done so 10 days before the "breach".) I wish the letter called it a HIPAA violation. The nurse was careless, thoughtless, and obviously not educated and very non-compliant regarding HIPAA. This stress has really affected my poor mother. It is tough enough losing your spouse of 50 years and then now your credit is a mess because of a careless nurse that in my opinion acted abhorently. I had to be educated regarding HIPAA when it went into law,to keep my license updated, why not her? Your opinion and input please. Thank you.

rngolfer53

681 Posts

........... Yikes! I feel terrible for the fuss but how stupid of the nurse. What should I do? My instinct is to just let it blow over, no actual harm came of the leak. Thanks for the input.

One thing I would put in the pot of my deliberations on whether to follow up or drop the matter is the probability that the RN in question has done this before, and will again if not shown the error of her ways.

While there may not have been any damage to your father, that may not be the case with others. For instance, the RN and this care giver may be in cahoots to find marks for a scam or worse. Those suffering from illnesses are often easy targets.

HIPAA has some borderline absurdities in it, but the goal of protecting Pt privacy is a very legitimate one.

Lifeofanurse

198 Posts

If this person worked with him at the hospital...as a tech, janitor..whatever...it isn't hippa violation in my opinion.

If this person never had the oppty to SEE, HEAR or READ anything about your dad...then yes..hippa violation.

I don't know why the RN would have refered this person ...it's kinda weird.. but I did have a client ask me if I would be interested in being her "helper at home" as she didn't like her current home health agency. I declined even though it would have been a sweet gig for me as a student. I thought of it as a conflict of interest since she had been my 'patient' for clinical. I did advise her that if she was looking for someone she could call the schools nursing program directors..and ask if she knew of someone interested in the job.

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