I am a military spouse in the middle of a divorce. One of the med-techs (military equivalent of an LPN) in the women's clinic at our base was told by my husband that I gave him an STI. She then shared this w/multiple spouses of other people who work w/my husband and also know me; who then told me via FACEBOOK of all places, that I needed to get to a dr. as they were told that I gave my husband a disease, by the med-tech in question.
Unfortunately for me, I am a patient of the clinic where this med tech works, and am currently being treated for pretty serious cervical dysplasia. I had varying degrees of staging from 1-3 and so I've been in and out of the doctor many, many times in the past few months. Needless to say, I'm facing the possibility of a hysterectomy and a little scared.
It was found that my husband did indeed have an STI, and I immediately went to the county health dept., got tested & came out negative for everything.
It's time for the checkup that will ultimately determine whether or not radical hysterectomy is advised, and I'm refusing to go back to the clinic on base as I have no clue if this chick is going to share my info. with anyone else. in the past she told me that she asked the doctor in the clinic whether or not her ex-husband's wife was pregnant, who then confirmed the pregnancy. So I'm well aware that she's violated HIPPA in the past, but not sure if my situation applies. As an LPN myself, I wouldn't dream of doing what this med tech did as in my mind it IS a HIPPA violation. But I might be overzeaously interpreting the rule too. So I'm not sure.
I make this branch of the military sound a little low class. lol. I'm sorry.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
If you say something that is true, it is not slander..
In the OP, she said this woman is telling people that the OP gave her husband an STI. She did not give her husband an STI. Therefore, it's not true. Therefore, it's slanderous.
Specializes in Med Office, Home Health, School Nurse.
Let me get this straight...If I hear something untrue from someone, and spread it around--how is that not slander? I'm still saying it, therefore spreading untruths about someone. Just because I didn't make the rumor up doesn't matter does it? I would think it would still be slander.
This is a little off topic, but why was the doctor sharing patient information with her about one of his patients? If the doctor is doing stuff like that it's no wonder she is too.
Nobody violated hippa, which I'm assuming is maybe the feminine form of the spanish word hippo? As for HIPAA...
Just because someone talks about a health ailment doesn't mean that they're violating HIPAA. My mom told me about her best friend's surgery. That is NOT a HIPAA violation. My mom could be a doctor or a nurse or a veterinarian. Unless she found out about the surgery because she was doing her job as a healthcare provider, it is NOT a HIPAA violation.
The tech/nurse/whatever in the OP did NOT get this information via her job. She got the information just like if I was standing out in the road right now, someone drove by and said, "Sally has chicken pox!" If I went and told the next person going by that Sally has chicken pox, it wouldn't be a violation. If I took care of Sally during her treatment of chicken pox, and then I shared that information, THAT would be a violation of HIPAA.
The person in the OP is not a nice person. But in this case, there is not a HIPAA violation because she's not sharing information she learned in the course of treating someone. She's sharing gossip.
Had a very dear coworker once that had multiple visits to the hospital. Most of the time I'd get her as a patient. I had to be very careful when we'd be asking each other how she was doing, that I never shared anything that I knew from being her nurse. Because most of the information going around was just slightly off (and not as bad as the truth actually was.) Most of the time I'd just say that, I can't keep up with what I know as her nurse and what I know as her friend, so I'm staying out of this conversation. If I said she had an STD and I knew that because she told me one night that we working together, not a HIPAA violation. If I said that she had an ingrown toenail, and I knew that because she mentioned it in her admission paperwork, that woud be a HIPAA violation.
So the person in question, not a HIPAA violation, and I'm not a lawyer, but I don't even think it would be libelous/slanderous unless she has reason to know that it's not true.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
So the person in question, not a HIPAA violation, and I'm not a lawyer, but I don't even think it would be libelous/slanderous unless she has reason to know that it's not true.
It doesn't matter if they know it's not true or not. Slander is defined as "a falsehood presented as true with malicious intent which could harm the reputation of a person or entity."
LPNweezy
188 Posts
she sounds like a person who has no respect or integrity.