Right...or Revenge?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I am in a bit of a dilemma. I know for a fact that a place that am employed has serious hippa violations that I pointed out to the management of the company i work for.

i work as a contractor to multiple work sites as an on-site occupational health nurse (OHN). One site has everyone login to the EMR under one name. I know this is wrong. Plus they leave injury reports out in the open without securing them over night.

My company informed me that I was requested not to return to this site. The nurse that has been on site for 17 plus years and I do not see eye to eye on just about everything. She doesn't like change and the company that i work for hired her from the previous company providing on site services which had a extremely poor record of treating and dealing with occupational injuries and OSHA recordables.

She is probably the main reason for the OSHA recordable rates being so high. I worked for several other companies as an onsite OIHN and know what she is doing is wrong, yet the company management (not my company) loves her and I get the short end of the stick. Here is the issue, if i report a HIPPA violation to the state, my company will know who filed it and I'm sure I will be released.

What would you do, part of me says stick it to her and let the cards fall as they may the other half says shut up and keep your job and hope there isn't an audit.

Dear Dilemma,

So if I follow this correctly, Company A (the company you work for) sends you to work at different companies, much like an agency type arrangement. You were sent to Company B to provide services as an OHN. Company B does not want/need you back.

Your concern is that Company B has potential HIPAA violations and careless work standards that put them at risk. In addition, they have a long-standing OHN nurse with questionable practices.Your question is, should you report Company B to the state?

Before you decide to involve the state, consider your motivation. You may be right but proving you are right is not the best choice.

My advice-

You no longer work there, so let it go.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

[bagggrn]

Problem here is that working for company A part of my 40 hours was to be at company b

Now my hours are cut because of company b nurse as described above and company b safety management Company A is not sure that they can keep me employed for 40 hours at just one site. There are also multiple OSHA violations and CLIA issues that are not resolved as well.

So motivation is to save job

Plus as a nurse following "best" practice would require to correct the hippa violations for my company A so they don't get fined in the process of company b nurses practices

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Problem here is that working for company A part of my 40 hours was to be at company b

Now my hours are cut because of company b nurse as described above and company b safety management Company A is not sure that they can keep me employed for 40 hours at just one site. There are also multiple OSHA violations and CLIA issues that are not resolved as well.

So motivation is to save job

Plus as a nurse following "best" practice would require to correct the hippa violations for my company A so they don't get fined in the process of company b nurses practices

Having your hours cut is awful, I'm sorry. It won't help your job situation to report Company B, though. Best wishes.

[needlesmcgeeRN, ASN, RN]

Pet peeve - it's HIPAA. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. WHY is this so hard for people.

[bagggrn]

needlesmcgeeRN I agree the law is straight forward and VERY easy to understand. If nurse at company B is too stupid or ignorant to follow the law, let the cards fall as they may.

[Robmoo, ADN, BSN, RN]

It sounds like you need to take this issue to someone in your chain of command who you trust. First this will allow you the perspective of someone in your organization who you respect and who has the interests of your company and client in mind. Also, if this does blow up you did take some action and report the situation to someone in your chain of command. Take a close look at laws regarding reporting. They may require that you to report this situation. Being a whistle blower is seldom easy. Just read about the Texas Winkler County nurses.