NP discusses MJ on national TV ????

Nurses General Nursing

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I just watched CNN and a nurse practioner(she gave her name) was on the phone giving information about Michael Jackson and what he discussed with her and what medication he was given (not by her) for his insomnia. She also talked about when she treated his kids for a cold and what she gave them. Is this legal?? What happened to patient confidentiality?? Can you just go on national TV and discuss a patient because he is dead????

a doctor just sent this reply about the hipaa question on one of the doctor blogs i read. her thoughts are interesting:

383ae458657288a7fe8f76e3207e1c28?s=44&d=http%3a%2f%2fwww.gravatar.com%2favatar%2fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3fs%3d44&r=g 6 dr. mary johnson july 2, 2009 at 11:57 am

oftentimes, rather than protect patients, privacy laws obscure & cover-up bad behavior. arguably/ethically, the most profound "breach of trust" would be a doctor or nurse prescribing or giving jackson something that killed him (no matter how badly he wanted it). i would think that sort-of-thing needs to see the light of day, and not be covered up in order to preserve a superstar's "image" (such as it was).

people/professional (medical, legal & otherwise) who were not directly involved in jackson's care are free to speculate. lots of them will have their "fifteen minutes" as a talking head or even author - some will make lots of money doing it (that's "entertainment"). hipaa laws are not going to stop any of that.

moreover, the feds (dea) are in on the mj party now: translation, the post-mortem drug screen must have been really interesting.

i think the privacy bird just flew out the window.

here's the thread:

http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2009/07/did-propofol-or-diprivan-kill-michael-jackson.html

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Specializes in IMCU.

Privacy bird? More like the vultures are circling.

The nurse on CNN yesterday should zip it.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

When I was watching that, I was thinking....if that had been me, and my patient a) knows what diprovan is, and b) states they have been given it before, and c) is wanting me to give it.....

Ever see the Bugs Bunny cartoons where he takes off running and leaves the bunny outline in the wall? That would have been me, and I would have been on the phone to a lawyer to make sure I performed due diligence (called the DEA, the BON, who ever they suggested) -- because when you've got someone taking diprovan who's not in a hospital, nothing good is going to ultimately happen...

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Specializes in IMCU.
When I was watching that, I was thinking....if that had been me, and my patient a) knows what diprovan is, and b) states they have been given it before, and c) is wanting me to give it.....

Ever see the Bugs Bunny cartoons where he takes off running and leaves the bunny outline in the wall? That would have been me, and I would have been on the phone to a lawyer to make sure I performed due diligence (called the DEA, the BON, who ever they suggested) -- because when you've got someone taking diprovan who's not in a hospital, nothing good is going to ultimately happen...

No kidding. I get that and I am just a student. It is crazy.

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Did anyone else see Cherilyn Lee talking about Michael Jackson's drug problems on Larry King? Isn't that a hipaa violation? Or is it OK to talk about celebrities who are dead? It also may be that she was not officially his nurse because she refused to participate in his drug seeking so it is ok for her to speak up. Just wondering what others think.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I was horrified. Just because he's dead doesn't make it OK for a nurse to air his dirty laundry in public, even if everybody else on the planet seems to be doing it.

I'd be willing to bet it's a HIPAA violation, but whether it is or isn't, I think her actions showed a distinct lack of class, which does NOT do the public image of our profession one bit of good.:down:

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I was watching Larry King and someone kept twittering on the ticker below the screen "Why is this nurse violating HIPAA" The only thing I did wonder is if he was not receiving care from this nurse at the time, does it make it OK? Morally I don't think so, but is it legally OK?

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I'd be willing to bet it's a HIPAA violation, but whether it is or isn't, I think her actions showed a distinct lack of class, which does NOT do the public image of our profession one bit of good.:down:

If this nurse was working for, and getting paid directly from, Michael Jackson, then there is no HIPAA violation. But, I agree, she shows a distinct lack of class and lack of respect for her deceased patient.

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If this nurse was working for, and getting paid directly from, Michael Jackson, then there is no HIPAA violation.

why not?

leslie

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Yeah why not. I would think that because she was working for him wouldn't still be violation as she is giving out personal health care info. I wonder what she is making off of this and if the jackson family could sue her for slander. is she really even a nurse, has anyone verified her credentials

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.

i think they meant if she WASNT working for him.

besides HIPAA violations though...am i the only one that doesnt believe a word she says? dont get me wrong.....i believe with my whole heart that he was an addict and was able to take his addiction to a level most never achieve due to his wealth.

but there is something about her story...i just dont believe a word she says. i dont know why, i just dont.

and i say again......i blame jackson for his death. but if somehow he were really getting propofol in a home environment, then they should be prosecuted for that because that is wrong on so many levels i wouldnt even know where to start.

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