I can't believe this!

Published

I just found out, after a CNA demonstrated it for me, that any hospital employee can access any employees HR file (medical only) and get their birthdate, SS #, and all lab work done when hired and yearly thereafter. Seem that all employees are listed as "patients" by Occupational Health Services, giving all healthcare staff access to this info. What do you think? Anyone else able to do this?

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Wa! That is amazing. And not in a good way either. Because of HIPPA our facility insists all clients be referred to by colors. And this is in a group home where it is not likely outsiders would be coming anyway. But for everyone to be able to access employee files seems like either an awful oversight or a major no-no to me. Isn't that against the law?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

Sounds like a major organizational HIPPA violation to me. It needs reported.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

They need to make those files more confidential rather than public like that. You can't trust people not to snoop. I would definately tell someone in HR about this.

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I'd be tempted to whisper this to all the staff, then consider a class action suit against the hospital for violation of your rights to privacy. :(

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If your hospital is like ours...anyone looking up someone elses file when there is NOT a need to (surfing thru medical files) is grounds for permanant termination. I have heard of one person being removed from there position for looking up medical files on the comp.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Granted info like that should not be accessable, but that CNA's going to have their butt in a sling for accessing it.

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I worked in the prison system for thirteen years. The inmates had ascess to our name, address and our nursing license number!:angryfire

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I worked in the prison system for thirteen years. The inmates had ascess to our name, address and our nursing license number!:angryfire

Yes, one call to our BNE and any member of the public has this as well in my state.

BUT healthcare info is supposed to be protected by federal law now.....

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I worked in the prison system for thirteen years. The inmates had ascess to our name, address and our nursing license number!:angryfire

Oh thats scarey! It bothers me just having my last name on my ID tag. I always thought first name was sufficient.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

If you're the pt. it's protected. Healthcare worker, heck no!

This crap should not be public knowledge. I mean, people should be able to look a nurse up and see if he/she is licensed, but the HOME address and such info should NOT be a part of that.

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Specializes in LDRP.

i dont know...sounds like a big HIPPA thing to me. here, you aren't allowed to look up even your own medical records without permission, certainly not anyone else's. whatever happened to the "need to know" basis?

love, rose

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