HIPAA Violations in Hospice

Nurses HIPAA

Published

Specializes in Hospice.

I guess I have a few questions. My coworkers share pictures of patients that are not mine in a HIPAA compliant app. It's mostly for innocent things like a patient got to go to some event. This seems inappropriate to me since I've never seen said Patient. 

In the HIPAA compliant app, tons of information is shared with people who are not even working in with the patients or even nurses. It is like a big group chat with 100 people. People who are just social workers in a different city for example see said information. Like first, last name and where they are located, diagnosis and issues going on with them at the time. 

Also a family member is asking for pictures of a patient, family is DPOA. Patient does not have a phone. Patient is able to constent, can the nurse send photos to direct family member on work device? Covid has restricted visitors and they are long distance so they want picures of the pt on their birthday. 

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The first part is no, not HIPAA compliant. Those hundred people, many of whom have never even worked with the pt, clearly are not on a "need-to-know" basis about the pt. I would be uncomfortable with it and I would probably see if I can take myself off the chat, and if I could not, I would speak to a manager about it. I ain't no snitch LOL, but that could backfire, even just being a part of the thread. You gotta CYA first in this life. 

As for the family part... I would not do that on my personal phone. I would agree to send pictures to the active DPOA using a device the family or pt owns, but not my own. 

I hate that it has to be that way, and 99% of the time it wouldn't be an issue, but you just can't chance yourself on that 1% when your career hangs in that balance. 

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Agree with @K. Everly

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