JustAnswer > Legal
Ask A Question|Register|Login|Help
JustAnswer

Law

Ask a Legal Question, Get an Answer ASAP!

Have your own Legal question?

34 Lawyers are Online Now
characters left:
Not a Legal Question?

Related Law Topics:

  • May
  • ,
  • Job
  • ,
  • Back
  • ,
  • Post
  • ,
  • Town
  • ,
  • Work
  • ,
  • Wife
  • ,
  • Bonus
  • ,
  • Green
  • ,
  • Hippa
Bookmark and Share

Question

my question is about confidentiality, is it breech of confidentiality if,
I work at a local hospital in the business office, I walked into a local restaurant and was informed of a local community doctor who was admitted to the hospital, the people at the restaurant knew it all, I did listen and ask questions.l I went back to work and a co-worker (neighbor of the doctor) was telling us about the condition of the doctor, as she was in contact with doctors wife, her friend and neighbor, she is telling everyone in our office, and kept us updated, so what I talked about was what I heard from a friend who heard from this doctors wife a family member not from any medical records etc as my job allows me to access, nothing I heard was related to my place of employment. is this a breech of confidentiality when the public is aware of the cituation and it is being discussed all over town, heck the public knew more then I did. Our town has a population of around 3000

Submitted: 919 days and 16 hours ago.
Category: Legal
Value: $20
Status: CLOSED
+
Read More

Optional Information

Optional Information:
Glasgow, Montana

Accepted Answer

Whether or not you actually violated confidentiality would depend on specific HIPPA and hospital policy as they apply to your particular job/position. In other words, policy may require you to maintain confidentiality regarding patients -- regardless of whether the patient information resulted directly from your employment.

Let us assume, that your actions have not violated patient confidentiality in the technical sense. As a professional counselor who is familiar with the need for, and importance of, confidentiality -- I have to say that your actions were less-than-wise. This is because they have caused your superiors to question your judgment and trustworthiness as they relate to your professional responsibilities.

As you have recently been reminded -- it is a truism that small towns are known for everyone (very quickly) knowing everyone else's business.

Another truism is that it is as important to avoid the appearance of wrongdoing, as it is to avoid wrongdoing itself. This is because the consequences of the former can be just as serious as those of the latter.

Click above Link(s) (if any) for additional information.

Let me know if you need more input. If not, thanks for the opportunity to assist you... Please honor my efforts by Clicking the green 'Accept' button (located within this post -- above-right). Adding a bonus -- should you wish to do so -- would be warmly welcomed.

I would also appreciate your Feedback comments regarding your experience with me.

Good Luck!

Steve

Edited by Steve -- a.k.a. Oreport on 5/18/2007 at 11:07 AM

Picture
Expert: Steve -- a.k.a. Oreport
Pos. Feedback: 100.0 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 5/18/2007

Counselor, Informati&on Professi&onal

Master's in Counseling - 30 Yrs - Helping Prof - 160 IQ - 57 Yrs. Life Exp 1000 Site-wide Accepts.

+
Read More

Related Legal Questions

  • My daughter got a call from a collection agency for a dept
  • mental anguish and suffering caused by an internet pervert
  • My daughter, 17 years old, bought a tennis braclet for me as
  • hello i had purchased a vacation club ownership, i did use
  • Is it a Hippa violation if you are working on an ambulance
  • Good Morning: We are a 501c3 registered Little League
  • I WAS LET GO DO TO CONSOLIDATION AND MY JOB WAS GIVEN TO A
  • I need to start proceedings against a man who is in prison



Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.
Question List | Become an Expert | Terms of Service | Security & Privacy | About Us
© 2003-2009 JustAnswer Corp.