Social Media & HIPAA
Social Media & HIPAA
Jacqueline Ford
Healthcare Compliance
Increasing privacy violations is more evident than ever. Usage of Social Media to network between friends, colleagues, and family is at an all-time high. Cellphones or “smartphones” are used not only to communicate socially, but also professionally. More innovative are cellphones and portable tablets with high megapixel cameras built-in, to instantly share a real-time event(s). For example: a loved one delivering a baby; a witness to an accident; injuries and/or wounds, just to name a few. This is occurring daily not only with civilians, but healthcare workers; especially those who witness graphic or invasive procedures not normally seen to the “average Joe”.
Unfortunately, some healthcare workers have no "medical conscious"; and for those who disclose patient information online can find themselves in violation of patient privacy laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA. If caught, this can result in not only getting disciplined or fired, but being subject to fines of up to $250,000 and even a prison sentence. Another potential negative consequence is an investigation and discipline by the professional’s state board.
But that threat hasn’t stopped some medical professionals from posting confidential patient information online without permission. Some recent examples of social networking HIPAA breeches include these violations in Healthcare:
A nurse who posted a patient’s picture and chart on his Facebook page because he thought it was “funny” and since it was “only Facebook,” there was no real harm in it
A doctor who treated a patient over Twitter
Emergency room personnel who posted pictures on the Internet of a man being treated for fatal knife wounds
A doctor who asked a patient on a date after seeing her profile on a dating website
A
Jacqueline Ford
Healthcare Compliance
Increasing privacy violations is more evident than ever. Usage of Social Media to network between friends, colleagues, and family is at an all-time high. Cellphones or “smartphones” are used not only to communicate socially, but also professionally. More innovative are cellphones and portable tablets with high megapixel cameras built-in, to instantly share a real-time event(s). For example: a loved one delivering a baby; a witness to an accident; injuries and/or wounds, just to name a few. This is occurring daily not only with civilians, but healthcare workers; especially those who witness graphic or invasive procedures not normally seen to the “average Joe”.
Unfortunately, some healthcare workers have no "medical conscious"; and for those who disclose patient information online can find themselves in violation of patient privacy laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA. If caught, this can result in not only getting disciplined or fired, but being subject to fines of up to $250,000 and even a prison sentence. Another potential negative consequence is an investigation and discipline by the professional’s state board.
But that threat hasn’t stopped some medical professionals from posting confidential patient information online without permission. Some recent examples of social networking HIPAA breeches include these violations in Healthcare:
A nurse who posted a patient’s picture and chart on his Facebook page because he thought it was “funny” and since it was “only Facebook,” there was no real harm in it
A doctor who treated a patient over Twitter
Emergency room personnel who posted pictures on the Internet of a man being treated for fatal knife wounds
A doctor who asked a patient on a date after seeing her profile on a dating website
A