No. 1 HIPAA Privacy Risk? Snooping Staff
Employees peeking at patients' medical records far from uncommon.
O
ne of the most common HIPAA violations? Staff snooping in
medical records. Healthcare employees who access and view
a patient's protected health information simply for personal
reasons, and not for any legitimate business or patient care needs,
may face criminal culpability. As their employer, your facility will find
itself in regulatory risk as well for such privacy breaches. Curiosity-
kills-the-cat cases where staff peek into the medical records of
friends, fellow workers and even celebrities are becoming increasing-
ly common. Here's an example.
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Legal Update
Lani M. Dornfeld, Esq.
• AUTHORIZED ACCESS? Is your patient information protected from the prying eyes of your staff?
