Nosey Staff Get the Boot!

Posted At : August 25, 2008 2:50 PM | Posted By : Carole La Pine
Related Categories: Record keeping

Michigan's Governor Janet Granholm was informed on August 6 that there was a breach of the confidentiality of her medical record. The breach was discovered during a routine audit to ensure compliance with federal health record privacy protection laws. As a result of this audit it was discovered that employees of Sparrow Hospital had attempted to access the computerized medical information when the Governor was admitted for abdominal surgery on April 29. Disciplinary action resulted in some employees getting fired and others were "disciplined" (details not available).

This is not an isolated incident. It has been reported that medical breaches are increasing as more medical records become computerized. Over 120 workers at a Los Angeles hospital looked at celebrities' medical records and other personal information (Britney Spears, Farrah Fawcett, and Maria Shriver) between January 2004 and June 2006. Some of these employees were fired, others were disciplined.

This may be a good time to remind employees that the confidentiality of health records is serious business.

Carole La Pine, MSA, CPMSM, CPCS

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Regarding employees/staff getting into trouble for looking at medical records, how does this pertain to physicians access an electronic medical record of a patient when they are not part of the treatment team? Do they same rules apply? Do they need patient permission, verbal or written, before access an EMR of a patient that they have not provided care for?

# Posted By Kelli_Fussell | 9/3/08 2:16 PM

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