HIPAA violation in school

[_windwaker]

Anyone know what happens if you violate HIPAA during pharmacy school? Is it just a failure of the class or an expulsion? Not planning on doing so, I’m just curious.

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[Dred Pirate]

depends - I have heard everything from warnings to expulsions - People get fired from hospitals all the time for it - I think Northwestern fired 50 people for looking at Smolette's chart.

If blatenly intention - explusion is very possible - if accidental, probably not.

 

[Seriously Serious]

I had a preceptor tell me on rotations that violating HIPAA is an automatic failure for the rotation.

 

[297point1]

The 11th Commandment: Thou shall not violate HIPAA. If you do, you will fail the course/rotation.
If the violation was intentional and done with malice: you will be expelled.

Schools don't screw around with this; maintaining the relationship with the practice site is far more important to the school than any one student.

 

[Wickett]

A preceptor screamed and scared the crap out if me on an IPPE once. He asked me to make 10 day calls my first day and I left a vmail saying I was calling from x pharmacy looking for ms. y please call back. Told me I just committed a felony and would be reported. Nothing happened. Just use common sense and you'll be OK.

 

[Twentytwelve2]

A preceptor screamed and scared the crap out if me on an IPPE once. He asked me to make 10 day calls my first day and I left a vmail saying I was calling from x pharmacy looking for ms. y please call back. Told me I just committed a felony and would be reported. Nothing happened. Just use common sense and you'll be OK.

You did nothing wrong. That is not a HIPPA case. You have to give out HEALTH information linked to a person.

 

[confettiflyer]

I had a student leave a USB drive full of EHR screenshots in a public area of the hospital. I chewed them out in my office and was well within my rights to fail them for the rotation, but opted not to do so. USB drives were locked by IT shortly after that (not perfect, since you can still email yourself info, but better).

I knew of someone who turned in an assignment on the back of a printout of someone’s labs (like they recycled the paper), so the school literally had no choice but to a) contact the hospital, b) fail the student and c) require them to complete that rotation after school.

None of these were intended (like a student looking up a celebrity and disclosing that info), but intentional would be automatic expulsion and civil/criminal penalties.

 

[Sine Cura]

A preceptor screamed and scared the crap out if me on an IPPE once. He asked me to make 10 day calls my first day and I left a vmail saying I was calling from x pharmacy looking for ms. y please call back. Told me I just committed a felony and would be reported. Nothing happened. Just use common sense and you'll be OK.

Your preceptor was an idiot or following some chain's idiot policy because the chain is "fearful" of being sued

Q: Many physician’s offices or pharmacists leave messages for patients at their homes, either on an answering machine or with a family member, to remind them of appointments or to inform them that a prescription is ready? May providers continue to mail appointment or prescription refill reminders to patients’ homes?

A: Yes. The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits health care providers to communicate with patients regarding their health care. This includes communicating with patients at their homes, whether through the mail or by phone or in some other manner. In addition, the Rule does not prohibit covered entities from leaving messages for patients on their answering machines. However, to reasonably safeguard the individual’s privacy, covered entities should take care to limit the amount of information disclosed on the answering machine. For example, a covered entity might want to consider leaving only its name and number and other information necessary to confirm an appointment, or ask the individual to call back

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/incidentalu%26d.pdf

 

[Wickett]

Your preceptor was an idiot or following some chain's idiot policy because the chain is "fearful" of being sued

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/incidentalu%26d.pdf

Oh I know I did nothing wrong legally. I'm just relaying my HIPAA scare story.

 

[KidPharmD]

Like others Accidental = Fail, Intentional = Expelled.
It isn't just my opinion. It is a written policy for our university and at least the failure part for our practice site.