EDNurseCleveland

The compliance officer’s email used the phrase “a compliance concern has been brought to our attention” and when I asked my boss about it, she said she didn’t know anything other than they said it was a “privacy thing.”

The way you worded this makes total sense. I made the mistake of thinking I had the discretion as a supervisor to enter her chart for what I considered non-PHI. I’m still trying to decide if I should have an attorney present for the first meeting. By deduction it’s most likely my boss was compelled to report the violation. I feel bad I put her in that situation, but surely wished she had given me a heads up. Yes, in hindsight, I should have just called occ health.

I'm a registered nurse who was asked to volunteer by the very large hospital that I worked for to be "Team Lead" for a COVID testing site they had to establish back in June 2020. I was enticed by saying I'd get 40 hours a week of work (instead of 36hrs), and that I'd have weekends off, and wouldn't be forced to take PTO due to low census in the satellite ED I worked in. Flash forward almost 1.5 years and I'm still doing that job for them, with no change in pay. One of my staff who does the actual swabbing gets COVID, and is off work. My manager asks if I had heard from this staff person regarding return to work date. I explained I had not heard from her despite reaching out a couple times over the past couple days. She expresses concern over staffing, the call ends, and I think "Oh, I bet Occupational Health has spoken with her and has likely established a return to work date for her (but has not contacted me nor my manager about it). I go into epic for the day she was scheduled for testing, open her chart and without looking at any specific health information, find two entries for two phone calls placed by occ health stating they couldn't get ahold of her. I tell my boss this, and she says "Oh, how did you find this out." I explain I found the information in her chart. She states I shouldn't have done that. I apologize and state I will never do it again. (I never received any supervisor training whatsoever yet have been acting as a supervisor to a decent-sized staff for over 1.5 years). My manager and I get along very well, she recently did my annual performance eval and it literally couldn't possibly be more glowing. Yet, yesterday I got an email from a corporate compliance officer asking to attend a zoom meeting with her and my boss on Monday. My boss had told me the other day she had to go out of town unexpectedly to Florida to pick up her daughter who just broke up with her boyfriend and had nowhere to live. I texted her and she was like "Yes, I knew about it. It's some privacy thing." I asked if it was regarding that incident with the staff member who was off with COVID and if I was getting fired, and she responded that she "honesty didn't know? " Then asked what time the meeting was and explained she couldn't be there, but she'd be back Tuesday. I'd love advice on how to handle this matter. Or any general advice from healthcare workers who have had meetings with corporate compliance over "privacy issues."

I'm a nursing student at Mount St. Mary's College in their ABSN program, and we are starting our PEDS rotation this Sunday. I'm super excited! We are going to be on 5E, 4E/W and doing one day rotations in CTICU, NICU, and PICU. Just wondered if there was anyone who was on those floors here?

mgolikov55, I tried looking for the facebook group. Couldn't find it, so I started one. It's called "Mount St. Mary's ABSN Fall 2013 Cohort." I made it so people can find it when they search for it. I don't know if that's why I couldn't find yours. Anyway, if you'd prefer to keep your page going (since you started it first!) could you just send me an invite (donn bialik) or make it so people can search for the group to add? I look forward to getting to know you and the others! Donn