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

[MoonlightRose]

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?

[candacern59217]

Every time I see someone talk about someone else's pregnancy on Facebook, I question if said pregnant person allowed them to blab the info. Part of me wants to call them out... but I refrain.

[Jory, MSN, APRN, CNM]

It depends. Did this person tell the nurse in the context of a FORMAL nurse/patient relationship or is the nurse and this pregnant person friends?

The first is a HIPAA violation.

The second is just a crappy friend.

[Koffeekake]

I think that would be really not a nice move and poor karma for you to try and ruin her work reputation because she announced your pregnancy on FB. If you didn't trust her I probably would have not told her. I think you should just confront her and tell her what a crappy thing that was for her to do. Not a nice thing. But trying to make her lose her job and or lose her career would be a horrible thing to do IMO. You risk people blabbing when you tell them personal information, I have been a victim of that myself. Just confront her and lose her as a friend.

[egoat1]

Violation is subjective and objective. Sometimes health care so called professional find themselves privy to information based on the fact that they are even in the healthcare profession. BEST practice keep your mouth shut and all information surrounding ones health private. If the patient want to tell you about their pregnancy great. Not necessarily a HIPPA violation but always remember the work you do and patient including fellow coworkers privacy. If there was complication and the patient didn't want folk to know about it and you ran your mouth and patient found out (subjective to patient "feeling" to their information being disclosed) the situation becomes a HIPPA violation. The Hospital would face a law suit and work climate would change for this individual based on your actions. BEST general practice mind your business and keep you mouth shut.

[egoat1]

Furthermore, if you find folks talking about fellow coworkers' health status depending you may wanna approach them or if you're a advocate report their actions to your information compliance officer, HR and public health department. I think depending on the state there is a 800 number to report this because at the end of the day the hospital could be held liable for the HIPPA violation. When healthcare facilities start taking action of immediate termination so called healthcare professionals will take their roles/actions more serious.

[Wuzzie]

Furthermore, if you find folks talking about fellow coworkers' health status depending you may wanna approach them or if you're a advocate report their actions to your information compliance officer, HR and public health department. I think depending on the state there is a 800 number to report this because at the end of the day the hospital could be held liable for the HIPPA violation. When healthcare facilities start taking action of immediate termination so called healthcare professionals will take their roles/actions more serious.

Not sure what your beef is with healthcare providers but, with the exception of a very few dimwits, we are very respectful of HIPAA and the need to protect our patients, often to the extreme. Regardless, the OP was not describing a situation that even remotely could be considered a violation as this all happened in the realm of a personal relationship with someone who just happened to be a nurse. There was no professional relationship established. Frankly it sounnds a bit too Jerry Springer for my taste