A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the Ivinson Memorial Hospital applying sanctions to their staff for violating HIPAA requirements.
They have set a good example…another hospital has also applied sanctions…suspending 27 of their staff members for violating HIPAA requirements.
George Clooney was recently in a motorcycle accident, and reportedly 27 of the employees at the Palisades Medical Center were suspended for a month, with no pay, because they were peeking into Clooney’s medical records without authorization. Some of the employees subsequently may have leaked Clooney’s medical details to the press.
“”Palisades Medical Center, it’s physicians and employees, adheres to a strong code of ethics that respects the privacy and confidentiality of all of our patients,” a hospital statement said.”
It’s good to hear that, even without the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yet applying any penalties for this long-standing law, that the covered enties (CEs)…well, at least a couple of healthcare providers…are taking the requirements seriously and enforcing the sanctions, as the law stipulates they must!
Tags: awareness and training, George Clooney, HHS, HIPAA, Information Security, IT compliance, Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Palisades Medical Center, patient privacy, PHI, policies and procedures, privacy, privacy rule, security rule