HIPPA violation if the patient isn't in your facility?

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The situation: A nurse knows a friend is pregnant and outs the pregnancy on Facebook. The patient goes to a different hospital and doesn't receive care in the same facility the nurse works in. The information was obtained through the patient themselves but was expecting the nurse to keep the information private. is I still a violation of medical information/HIPPA violation if the patient doesn't recover care in the same facility the nurse works at?

My husband did. I don't like her enough to tell her. Her husband was my husbands best friend.

Your husband told your ex-friend who is a nurse that you were pregnant, but your earlier post said she outed you to your husband as if he didn't know already? It seems pretty confusing, and you do seem petty. She is just a bad friend, not an unprofessional, HIPAA violating nurse. You care way too much about what all of your friends on facebook think about you being pregnant. As long as you and your husband are happy then you should focus of staying healthy and enjoying your pregnancy. Forget the bad friend, and move on. I 100% feel where your anger is coming from, my husband and I keep our pregnancies to ourselves until usually 20 weeks just for personal reasons, and we don't announce we are expecting on social media either, and I would be pissed if someone blurted it out. However, my husband knows this and doesn't run his mouth either. In this situation it seems more like your husbands fault for telling your big mouth friend in the first place.

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Seriously. Your ire should be directed at your husband; he's the blabbermouth. Time to pull up your big girl pants and quit obsessing about what your husband's family thinks; why do you care??? If they're concerned about your personal character, they should be equally, if not more concerned about your husband's character. You have MUCH bigger fish to fry with a baby on the way. Frankly, this whole thing is coming off as very "high school" and somewhat unhinged. I can't even really believe what I'm reading. Maybe get some help before that baby comes. Your anger, focus and desired outcomes are seriously misplaced. Being a successful parent takes a lot of maturity; best work on yourself and drop the vendettas.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Just going to say: pregnancy hormones are real! :D I probably would have been VERY upset to be outed on Facebook at 6 weeks, given my age and history of losses. Dang, I was scared to buy nursery furniture until I was 23 weeks.

OP, I hope you are feeling better/less wrapped up in this. There is a great Facebook group for older mamas and mamas-to-be. It's called Fabulous Pink Duck 40's. You'll find a bunch of us "geriatrics" there. lol

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
If you plan to report her to her boss, then make sure to take the following equally important and relevant steps:

(1) Report your husband to his boss for telling her the secret.

(2) Report your "friend" to Mark Zuckerberg for a breach of Facebook ethics.

Oh did that sound irrational? So is what you planned to do.

Did she even know it was supposed to be a secret; did your husband tell her that? Or maybe he didn't, but after seeing how pissed you were, he said he did tell her to keep it a secret? Who really knows.

Your plan to "tell on her" with the intent to ruin her professional reputation is every bit as reprehensible as what she did...maybe more, if she didn't know how what she did would affect you. Are you really going to intentionally stoop to her level, or lower? What does that say about you?

Imagine my shock and surprise when I saw the OP state that this "friend" doesn't like her.

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.
I go through moods where I feel I should drop it and there are moods in which I feel victimized and want her to have a consequence. I don't think she would have any professional consequences and I'm not sure in the end if I told her boss just to release my feelings if I would end up feeling more anxious about going there. There is also a survey they want me to fill out about my experience and patient care, it covers all topics. I could put my complaint there but at this point I'm really thinking of me and my husband and our comfort above getting back at her. I just think in the end it may get cause us even more ill feelings. My OB is one if the only and best MFM specialist in our area so I can't afford to switch offices.

Why would you think it would be appropriate to mention this on a hospital survey? For the umpteenth time, what your so-called friend did has nothing to do with her job, HIPAA, or the care you have received at that clinic. You're angry, and I understand that. But trying to retaliate by reporting her at work is immature and petty. You are going to look bad, not her. Let karma deal with her.

BTW, please use the quote button when replying to specific messages. It's hard to track who you are replying to.

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If you're not sure just call it a HIPPA violation.... not worth it.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
This is very much true. And I think deep down I know this. There is no good way to retaliate against this violation of privacy. I just hope if any complications come up she doesn't repeat it to family or friends. At my age I don't take anything for granted and I really hate that she can access my information after what she did.

If she spreads info learned in the course of her employment at your OB clinic, that would absolutely be a HIPAA vio.

What she did isn't -- it's not "private medical information" if it's learned in a social setting. I mean I told my husband that our daughter's friend has a brain tumor. It's not a HIPAA vio because while it is medical information, I am not her nurse/not employed where she is receiving care/neither a peds nor an oncology nurse.... I know because my daughter told me.

I COMPLETELY agree with your assessment of it as "a dick move."

The issue with telling the office manager is that it would be retributive. It's a social issue, not a professional or legal issue.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and wedding!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Women's Health, LTC.

I'm the pregnant lady and another "friend". Announced my pregnancy via Facebook to all my husband and my friends.

Thank you so much! I just figured since she was a nurse the concept of private medical information would be very familiar to her. I wasn't sure if spreading private medical information only applied if the patient was receiving care in the same facility. So she's off the hook on a technicality. One dude of me wants to complain to her boss because she knew we weren't telling anyone. But I guess she didn't do anything professionally wrong.

Not to be harsh, but, you say you were not telling anyone, but earlier in a post, you stated you announced via Facebook to "my friends". That is likely why she spilled it to others.

It may be the old lady in me, but, some things should be kept private and not announced via a social media platform.

Once it is on the internet (Facebook in this case), it is out there for the world to see.

Just my opinion.

Congrats on your new bundle of joy and I wish you all the best!

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Oh wait!!!! You spilled your "private" information on the internet???? You really have nothing to say about nothing much less about HIPAA violations and professional conduct. If you want things kept private don't post them on the internet for God's sake!!!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Transplant, Education.

Not a HIPAA violation as the nurse was not providing care to the patient. Just a bad friend.

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If you're not sure just call it a HIPPA violation.... not worth it.

Explain your position.

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I'm the pregnant lady and another "friend". Announced my pregnancy via Facebook to all my husband and my friends.

Thank you so much! I just figured since she was a nurse the concept of private medical information would be very familiar to her. I wasn't sure if spreading private medical information only applied if the patient was receiving care in the same facility. So she's off the hook on a technicality. One dude of me wants to complain to her boss because she knew we weren't telling anyone. But I guess she didn't do anything professionally wrong.

Not to be harsh, but, you say you were not telling anyone, but earlier in a post, you stated you announced via Facebook to "my friends". That is likely why she spilled it to others.

It may be the old lady in me, but, some things should be kept private and not announced via a social media platform.

Once it is on the internet (Facebook in this case), it is out there for the world to see.

Just my opinion.

Congrats on your new bundle of joy and I wish you all the best!

I think you misunderstood, possibly due to typos/grammar...

That is what I thought. I'm the pregnant lady and another "friend". Announced my pregnancy via Facebook to all my husband and my friends. She's a nurse a knows better. But technically I didn't think it was a violation just a dick move. I wasn't totally sure though.

Interpretation:

"I am am the pregnant lady and another "friend" announced my pregnancy via Facebook to all of my husband's and my friends."

OP says that in the course of them announcing their wedding on FB, the meanie jumped in and outed the pregnancy.

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