ADVANCE Perspective: HIM : violation

Privacy Problem Causes Real-Life Drama

Cheryl McEvoy — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:14:00 GMT

There's been quite a buzz at ADVANCE headquarters about the television phenomena "Nurse Jackie" and "HawthoRNe." Staffers wonder: is it realistic , do nurses approve of the portrayal and--at least around the HIM desk--how many HIPAA violations can they...(read more)

Investigators Probe Nuance

Cheryl McEvoy — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:43:00 GMT

Nuance Communications is under investigation for possible antitrust activity, according to Bloomberg.com . Investigators are trying to determine whether the company's acquisition of Phillips speech recognition (SR) software last year reduced competition...(read more)

HIPAA be damned?

Lynn Jusinski — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:05:00 GMT

[Editor's note: This is a guest blog by ADVANCE for Nurses editor Lyn A.E. McCafferty, who contributes to the "ADVANCE Perspective: Nurses " blog featured on the ADVANCE for Nurses Web site.] If you think the fictional Nurse Jackie and HawthoRNe are bad...(read more)

Malicious Use of PHI Lands Woman in Jail

Lynn Jusinski — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:02:00 GMT

In a strange case of Internet harassment involving personal health information (PHI), a woman finds herself facing a year in prison for what a judge called "egregious" behavior, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. Rhonda Wong-Fernandez was sent immediately...(read more)

Privacy Violation in NY

Cheryl McEvoy — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:20:00 GMT

A few months ago, reports of hospital employees snooping through celebrities medical records brought patient privacy issues to the foreground. But it's not just the rich and famous at risk.

A medical records employee at the Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris, NY, was fired in November for inappropriately accessing records of acquiantances and co-workers. According to the Mid-Hudson News, the violation was discovered during a routine audit. Since then, the hospital has been closely monitoring all records and who accesses them. Patients who were affected by the violation were notified by letters, which were sent out Wednesday.

The former employee has not been charged.

A Twist on Patient Privacy

Cheryl McEvoy — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:26:00 GMT

Still recovering from Thanksgiving (and 2 nights of reenacting the feast, thanks to Tupperware and a microwave), I spent last Sunday morning lounging on the couch and watching the news. I usually zone out during the sports segment, but a story about Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught my attention. No game-saving play, no philanthropic Thanksgiving deed; instead, the man shot himself in the thigh-at a nightclub-on accident.

I shook my head and chalked the incident up as a (highly illegal) social faux pax that will likely be recounted on SportsNight and E!'s stupid celebrity moments. Why Burress had a gun and why the safety was off, I'll leave for the police to untangle.

But scan the news sites today and viola! The plot thickens. Investigators are looking into some questionable practices at the hospital where Burress was treated; namely, why the incident wasn't reported. Hospitals are required by law to report gun shot wounds to authorities, but this time, no notification was issued.

With UCLA Medical Center still embroiled in controversy surrounding patient privacy breaches-most recently, an employee pleaded guilty to selling Britney Spears' medical information to the National Enquirer-it's not surprising that a facility would want to tip-toe around Burress' celeb status. But by keeping tight-lipped, doctors violated their legal obligation to report a gunshot wound. Countless hospitals have kept their mouths shut to protect celebrities in their care, but a hospital that actually breaks a law when doing so? That's newsworthy.

Perhaps it was a no-win situation; alert the police (and, inevitably, every media outlet in the metro area) or keep Burress' treatment under wraps and hope authorities don't catch wind. No matter the facility's intentions, you have to give employees some credit for not blabbing as soon as Burress hopped on the examination table. But by failing to alert police, the facility still broke the law-and to protect someone who allegedly had a loaded gun in a public place, nonetheless.

Burress may be nursing his thigh for a while, but his doctors just shot themselves in the foot.