16 fired for HIPAA Violations

suejara · Dec 3, 2009

They should of known better and resisted the temptation to "peek" at her chart. They are also not too bright seeing that in this electronic age you can easily be tracked down.

It also worries me because if you are logged into a computer and another staff member uses your account to be nosy, then it looks like you where the culprit.

lauramae18 · Dec 3, 2009

At our hospital we use a multipurpose machine (copier/scanner/fax/emailer) to send orders to pharmacy. You hit "TO" , type RX, and then press "SUBJECT" and type in the patient's last name. It's a small touch screen - 4 inches wide, 2 inches high, and very difficult to get the right button. Above the subject button is a "BCC". If you accidently hit that instead of subject, the order sheet goes to the closest email address that matches the patient name. It's a HIPAA violation and punishable by discipline and possibly termination.

I'm all for HIPAA enforcement, but really. Not all of us have fingers the size of a 5 year old. They can't disable the BCC. We're not allowed to use the end of a pen.

Ok, thanks for the vent. LOL.

Disco_Superfly · Dec 3, 2009

I think firing is rather harsh, but then again I just can't understand why people think it is so damned important to find out VERY personal information about others simply for the fact that they are nosy and need to mind their own BEESWAX! These people need to get a life for crying out loud.... And take their jobs more seriously.

Wishinonastar, BSN · Dec 3, 2009

I think it was too harsh of a punishment too, but remember they are still open to a lawsuit. I think this terrible nosy habit is usually done out of concern for how someone is doing, rather than out of just gossipy nosiness. One reason why I try not to use the hospitals that I have worked at. People need to take this to heart and realize they mean business now with HIPAA.

Guest343211 · Dec 5, 2009

Well, the reason it goes on all the time is because actions like this are not being taken! It is AGAINST THE LAW to look at patient records of whom you are not taking care of. How would you like it, if you as a nursing student, had to be hospitalized and all of your classmates looked at your records during their clinicals?! Not cool!

Certainly those people were just looking into the resident's record in order to be nosey about her situation. That's wrong.

What I am quite concerned about is how this will affect nurses, physicians, residents, RTs, Pharmacy, and other disciplines ability to learn about particular cases at learning centers.

Here's an example. I worked at a big children's hospital that would get rare and unusual cases--and the genetic information and other things would be shared or accessible--even if the patients were not assigned to you--in order to learn.

I fear things will get so extreme with this--you know how REACTIONARY administrations can be--and it will really hurt the ability to learn and get exposure to things that people should be learning from.

Of course this case IS NOT that kind of scenario. But by strict definition, what will become of med students, nursing students, nurses, physicians, whoever that are learning about certain kinds of cases that they have not and may not be given the opportunity to learn from?

This could eventually be very problematic in teaching hospitals/institutions. Seriously.

Guest343211 · Dec 5, 2009

I also agree about the firing. A suspension w/o pay would have gotten the message across loud and clear--along with mandiatory classes and written work.

Administrations are too punitive over some things, whilst life or death things they roll over on at times--or horizontal/vertical violence workplace issues that roll over or look the other way on--OR they are caprcious and are light-handed with some employees and heavy-handed with others.

Well at least this place hit them all across the board--but I definitely think they could have gotten the above punishment first, and it would have sent an excellent message and gotten the point across w/o being extreme.

The family probably made some strong demands--so statements like "I want these people fired!" may have entered into it.

Of course the administration should have the nuts to use its own balanced discretion--and while it may proclaim it did, from my POV it looks like they were covering their butts and threw their employees under the bus without taking the opportunity to use this for more human, balanced, and global learning for everyone. It's called making a teachable moment--and not by way of being too caustic!

But I say all of this, and truly I don't know all the details. So, that's kind of unfair and imbalanced of me to do that.

But if it is as simple as is presented, well, yea. They could have suspended them w/o pay and sent them for further HIPAA counseling and remediation.

Firing people w/o showing an interest in your own employees--especially since there was so many--suggests they dropped the ball in their covering of issues and teaching on them--nuances, etc. It's 16 employees for God's sake. I doubt that they all hated the woman and were just looking for personal stuff to gossip over--although I would not put this past some people. And we all know that is a very sad but true reality.

It was probably a genuine sense of concern that motivated a number of them--though they really had no business reviewing or discussing her if they didn't have a bonafide reason.

The other poster hit the nail on the head with this one. That is, as he or she alluded to, the hospital was simply COVERING ITS BUTT--in case of lawsuit or threats thereof.

Typical reactionary administrative DUMP.

Again, I just don't want to see extreme, reactionary administrative changes such that professionals and students will not get the full benefit from learning at teaching facilities. And this stands as a very strong possibility in light of stories like this becoming newsworthy and the general reactionary style found in most administrations.

eric909 · Dec 5, 2009

>>>>>>>>>>>
This should serve a warning to all. Whenever you log in to your hospital's computer, you WILL leave an electronic "fingerprint".
A few clicks of a button and your superiors will know who accessed whose medical record.
If you are not directly involved in the care of a patient, then you have no business peering into that patient's medical records, period.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Another reason to never ever lend out your login or leave your self logged in at work.