HIPAA Violation

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richierich22

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I just got accepted to medical school.

What I'm worried about though is my past. I worked (after graduating) at my alma mater's hospital as a clinical research coordinator. I violated HIPAA rights (I looked at some medical records that did not pertain to my research), and was later fired. Nothing else happened...to my knowledge.

It's been about 4 years now - I am deeply regretful of what I did and my judgment then is not the same as it is now.

I've tried to figure out what the implications are, but the hospital will not even discuss it with me, nor my supervisor, or anyone associated there.

Am i screwed? I don't even know what to do beyond now. I'm just afraid it will be a skeleton that I don't know how to deal with.
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richierich22 said:
I just got accepted to medical school.

What I'm worried about though is my past. I worked (after graduating) at my alma mater's hospital as a clinical research coordinator. I violated HIPAA rights (I looked at some medical records that did not pertain to my research), and was later fired. Nothing else happened...to my knowledge.

It's been about 4 years now - I am deeply regretful of what I did and my judgment then is not the same as it is now.

I've tried to figure out what the implications are, but the hospital will not even discuss it with me, nor my supervisor, or anyone associated there.

Am i screwed? I don't even know what to do beyond now. I'm just afraid it will be a skeleton that I don't know how to deal with.
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I really hope this hospital isn't associated with the school you were accepted at.......
I am not sure what the implications are. It wasn't an IA, since you were not a student there/at the time. It isn't a criminal offense since no charges were brought against you. Unless you try to rotate there or get involved with something that is run by someone who knows what happened there (try to do research with a physician who personally knows someone you worked for over there, for example) I am not sure how anyone would find out. Now if they do, I am not sure what will happen, you might be perfectly safe since there is nothing you lied about directly (I hope?) on your application, or they might have some means of kicking you out for it, even though it wasn't anything to do with your school. I agree with the suggestion you were given above, to talk to a lawyer.
 
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It's not associated, luckily. And yes, there wasn't an IA as I was not a student.

thanks for your help, any other input is appreciated.
 
richierich22 said:
I just got accepted to medical school.

What I'm worried about though is my past. I worked (after graduating) at my alma mater's hospital as a clinical research coordinator. I violated HIPAA rights (I looked at some medical records that did not pertain to my research), and was later fired. Nothing else happened...to my knowledge.

It's been about 4 years now - I am deeply regretful of what I did and my judgment then is not the same as it is now.

I've tried to figure out what the implications are, but the hospital will not even discuss it with me, nor my supervisor, or anyone associated there.

Am i screwed? I don't even know what to do beyond now. I'm just afraid it will be a skeleton that I don't know how to deal with.
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Is this hospital different than the one you'll do rotations at as an MS-3?
 
Yup, it's in a different state. I do want to return at some point though...they said that if it's enough time, I can head back...

But how will I know if they never speak to me?! i just don't understand why they won't discuss it.
 
richierich22 said:
Yup, it's in a different state. I do want to return at some point though...they said that if it's enough time, I can head back...

But how will I know if they never speak to me?! i just don't understand why they won't discuss it.
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Right now you shouldn't care about returning back there. If you're smart, you won't go there again. Cut your losses. There's nothing to discuss.
 
richierich22 said:
Yup, it's in a different state. I do want to return at some point though...they said that if it's enough time, I can head back...

But how will I know if they never speak to me?! i just don't understand why they won't discuss it.
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Because they are in the tricky situation of not wanting to turn you in for a crime (which would also reflect poorly on their institution), but also needing to make sure that they never condone it in any way.
If it ever comes up, they are nailed to the wall if they ever tell you that it's OK.
Your best bet is to stop bringing it up to them; you were fired, that's the end of it.
Harboring hopes to someday go back is, imo, foolhardy, but it is particularly so if you persist in reminding them of the incident repeatedly without actually letting years of education and experience distance you from it.
 
So would you say it is not the best move to hire a lawyer at this point for this situation? It seems the general consensus is to move on and show you've grown through doing well in medical school.
 
Hopefully the financial part of it does not follow you, as a single HIPAA violation can range from anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000.
If i were you i would just not bring it up, and if someone down the road in your medical career brings it up to you, just explain it was a dumb and irresponsible mistake (whatever the case may be) and that you have completely change.d your ways.
Think of it as a criminal charge in which was dismissed (even though it obviously isn't).
 
At this point, it's been 4 years and you haven't heard anything about it. If I were you, I would give up any idea of potentially working at that hospital in the future, as there is a potential for this to re-surface. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.

Probably wouldn't hurt to talk to a lawyer though. Not necessary to "hire" one, but I'm sure a lawyer has more insight into this, whereas most people on SDN can just speculate.
 
Thanks SDNers, I really appreciate your input.

I will contact a lawyer to see what they think. I also appreciate for not guilt tripping me...already feel enough guilt as it is.
 
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Looking at medical records that aren't any of your business is against the rules but unless you disclose the information to someone else, you haven't violated HIPAA but your employer violated HIPAA by giving you access to (and therefore disclosing to you) records you weren't authorized to see. If the hospital had let this slide, the hospital could have been subject to federal penalties.

See http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/enforcement/examples/allcases.html for examples

I heard of a situation where a couple of people were subjects of a big news story and the HMO where they got their care fired several employees, including a physician, who went in and looked at the electronic medical record although there was no job related reason to do so (they were just nosy). Keep in mind that whenever you look at an electronic medical record your "fingerprints" are on the record because your ID and password put a time stamp on every record.

I hardly think you need to consult a lawyer but I'd also be wary of ever stepping foot in that hospital again.
 
LizzyM said:
Looking at medical records that aren't any of your business is against the rules but unless you disclose the information to someone else, you haven't violated HIPAA but your employer violated HIPAA by giving you access to (and therefore disclosing to you) records you weren't authorized to see. If the hospital had let this slide, the hospital could have been subject to federal penalties.

See http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/enforcement/examples/allcases.html for examples

I heard of a situation where a couple of people were subjects of a big news story and the HMO where they got their care fired several employees, including a physician, who went in and looked at the electronic medical record although there was no job related reason to do so (they were just nosy). Keep in mind that whenever you look at an electronic medical record your "fingerprints" are on the record because your ID and password put a time stamp on every record.

I hardly think you need to consult a lawyer but I'd also be wary of ever stepping foot in that hospital again.
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reminds me of ucla. it was all over tmz.
 
LizzyM said:
Looking at medical records that aren't any of your business is against the rules but unless you disclose the information to someone else, you haven't violated HIPAA but your employer violated HIPAA by giving you access to (and therefore disclosing to you) records you weren't authorized to see. If the hospital had let this slide, the hospital could have been subject to federal penalties.

See http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/enforcement/examples/allcases.html for examples

I heard of a situation where a couple of people were subjects of a big news story and the HMO where they got their care fired several employees, including a physician, who went in and looked at the electronic medical record although there was no job related reason to do so (they were just nosy). Keep in mind that whenever you look at an electronic medical record your "fingerprints" are on the record because your ID and password put a time stamp on every record.

I hardly think you need to consult a lawyer but I'd also be wary of ever stepping foot in that hospital again.
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My job as a scribe gives me access to medical records (the hospital can't really monitor exactly which ones in realtime), but we have been told multiple times that looking at any records which are not directly pertinent to our jobs is a HIPAA violation. Specific examples we were given during our HIPAA training (and subsequent, more detailed company messages due to issues which have brought up to them):
Looking at records from a patient who was seen yesterday (even if the physician asks you to let them know how the patient fared in the ICU, for example)
Looking at records from a patient who is in the ED during your shift, but who was not seen by your physician (never mind that I could easily look at their physical chart 8x while there, or a nurse could ask me to pull something up since I have a mobile computer), or the doc could ask me to check in and see if it is a case we should sign up for
Ever looking at your own records -- how on earth it is a HIPAA violation for ME to see my OWN records (is there any more profound consent than "I am the one choosing to undertake this action") is still beyond me

etc.

I don't know whether they were being scare-tactic-y, but I DO know that EMRs document who has viewed the charts, and they can audit this information and nail us to the wall with it, whether it is technically a HIPAA violation or not.
 
mehc012 said:
My job as a scribe gives me access to medical records (the hospital can't really monitor exactly which ones in realtime), but we have been told multiple times that looking at any records which are not directly pertinent to our jobs is a HIPAA violation. Specific examples we were given during our HIPAA training (and subsequent, more detailed company messages due to issues which have brought up to them):
Looking at records from a patient who was seen yesterday (even if the physician asks you to let them know how the patient fared in the ICU, for example)
Looking at records from a patient who is in the ED during your shift, but who was not seen by your physician (never mind that I could easily look at their physical chart 8x while there, or a nurse could ask me to pull something up since I have a mobile computer), or the doc could ask me to check in and see if it is a case we should sign up for
Ever looking at your own records -- how on earth it is a HIPAA violation for ME to see my OWN records (is there any more profound consent than "I am the one choosing to undertake this action") is still beyond me

etc.

I don't know whether they were being scare-tactic-y, but I DO know that EMRs document who has viewed the charts, and they can audit this information and nail us to the wall with it, whether it is technically a HIPAA violation or not.
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Not sure if you're looking for an explanation, but...you're not allowed to view your own medical records using your scribe access because a) you don't own the records and b) the hospital must maintain a process for protecting and releasing medical records to the appropriate individuals. You're supposed to sign out of the EMR every time you leave your computer, but do you? What if someone came by and used your access to look at your records? You'd certainly find it an infringement of your rights, just as viewing the charts of one of your physician's current ER patients would be an infringement of their rights. You actually do have the right to access your medical records (in full, to my understanding), but you need to go and explicitly sign the appropriate forms to do so. I don't believe that sort of infringement is a HIPAA violation, but more a policy set by the employer that could subject you to termination. The access you're given to EMRs requires you to have a "need to know" and any access you request must serve a meaningful job function--that's the HIPAA violation. Your examples encompass both.

ETA: Would be very interested in any corrections to this information. This is my understanding based on the reading I've completed on HIPAA and training in a hospital setting.
 
SweetCaroline7 said:
Not sure if you're looking for an explanation, but...you're not allowed to view your own medical records using your scribe access because a) you don't own the records and b) the hospital must maintain a process for protecting and releasing medical records to the appropriate individuals. You're supposed to sign out of the EMR every time you leave your computer, but do you? What if someone came by and used your access to look at your records? You'd certainly find it an infringement of your rights, just as viewing the charts of one of your physician's current ER patients would be an infringement of their rights. You actually do have the right to access your medical records (in full, to my understanding), but you need to go and explicitly sign the appropriate forms to do so. I don't believe that sort of infringement is a HIPAA violation, but more a policy set by the employer that could subject you to termination. The access you're given to EMRs requires you to have a "need to know" and any access you request must serve a meaningful job function--that's the HIPAA violation. Your examples encompass both.

ETA: Would be very interested in any corrections to this information. This is my understanding based on the reading I've completed on HIPAA and training in a hospital setting.
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We were specifically told that it was a HIPAA violation. This did not come from the hospital, but from the scribe company itself, which is concerned that it is a 'target' for HIPAA audits because of the nature of scribing. I suppose that I would not be surprised if they fudged things a bit for simplicity (and to have the GIANT FINES threat hanging over our heads for even simple infractions), but I have no real reason to disbelieve them.
But, for the record, viewing the charts of my physician's current ER patients is NOT an infringement of their rights; it's my job description.

If I forget to sign out of my computer and then someone views my medical records from my own account, that is entirely on me...not sure why I'd make a fuss about it. At the end of the day, HIPAA is intended to protect privacy, and I cannot see how me viewing my own records would in any way violate THAT principle.
 
@mehc012, didn't want to quote you (feel like I thread jacked, sorry OP), but I didn't mean that YOU viewing your physician's medical records is the violation; the person who could come by your left-unattended computer could view those records and cause a violation. I suppose at that point, the auditors couldn't distinguish between your access and that person's, so perhaps my point is moot.

Anyway, I don't disagree with you. I would find it interesting to view my records and I absolutely feel I should have access. But I also believe that as physicians, we will be expected to follow rules that we had no hand in creating, and if we need to sign some forms to view some records, then so be it. I'm certainly not going to risk a violation over it, and I don't think you would/will either.
 
mehc012 said:
Looking at records from a patient who was seen yesterday (even if the physician asks you to let them know how the patient fared in the ICU, for example)
Looking at records from a patient who is in the ED during your shift, but who was not seen by your physician

.. the doc could ask me to check in and see if it is a case we should sign up for
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SweetCaroline7 said:
@mehc012, didn't want to quote you (feel like I thread jacked, sorry OP), but I didn't mean that YOU viewing your physician's medical records is the violation; the person who could come by your left-unattended computer could view those records and cause a violation. I suppose at that point, the auditors couldn't distinguish between your access and that person's, so perhaps my point is moot.

Anyway, I don't disagree with you. I would find it interesting to view my records and I absolutely feel I should have access. But I also believe that as physicians, we will be expected to follow rules that we had no hand in creating, and if we need to sign some forms to view some records, then so be it. I'm certainly not going to risk a violation over it, and I don't think you would/will either.
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Oh, I have no plans of ever creating medical records anywhere that I work. Healthcare is an extremely judgemental environment, as much as everyone likes to pretend that it's accepting. I'm not easily embarrassed and I don't really believe in secrets, but I don't feel like inviting bias into my professional life unnecessarily.

TBH, the whole medical records thing is very bizarrely done. It's like the TSA...enough red tape to make everything a nightmare, and not enough to really do anything useful.

If I leave my computer unattended, that is a violation. They should crack down on people accessing records with someone else's account. However, restricting what I can view out of concerns for that eventuality is ridiculous. It leaves me open to huge liability for things that are not harming anyone and which come up frequently.
 
richierich22 said:
Yup, it's in a different state. I do want to return at some point though...they said that if it's enough time, I can head back...

But how will I know if they never speak to me?! i just don't understand why they won't discuss it.
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Look at it this way, if they re-hired you, someone who previously viewed files that you were not authorized to view, and you did it again, imagine the liability they are opening themselves up to. This is far beyond "you hired someone who then violated HIPAA," this is "You re-hired someone you had already fired once for unauthorized access to medical records, and that person did it again. You had every reason to believe you couldn't trust them with confidential medical records, but you trusted them anyway." They are in a MUCH worse position if they re-hire you, no matter how much time goes by. I would consider that bridge burnt at this point...if the hospital is smart, they would never hire you again. This doesn't mean you will violate policy again, it just means if you ever did, they have no defense against any possible lawsuits over it.
 
richierich22 said:
I just got accepted to medical school.

What I'm worried about though is my past. I worked (after graduating) at my alma mater's hospital as a clinical research coordinator. I violated HIPAA rights (I looked at some medical records that did not pertain to my research), and was later fired. Nothing else happened...to my knowledge.

It's been about 4 years now - I am deeply regretful of what I did and my judgment then is not the same as it is now.

I've tried to figure out what the implications are, but the hospital will not even discuss it with me, nor my supervisor, or anyone associated there.

Am i screwed? I don't even know what to do beyond now. I'm just afraid it will be a skeleton that I don't know how to deal with.
Click to expand...

I wonder if it would be recorded? Would it be accessible by state medical boards? I wouldn't even know how to find that out.

I don't think it would be brought up during med school - but my fear would be when applying for a state license something would pop up.. For example: Lets say you apply for state license, you put no for all the questions about actions against you - they look you up and see the HIPAA violation - in this instance you have lied on a state medical license application...
 
styphon said:
I wonder if it would be recorded? Would it be accessible by state medical boards? I wouldn't even know how to find that out.

I don't think it would be brought up during med school - but my fear would be when applying for a state license something would pop up.. For example: Lets say you apply for state license, you put no for all the questions about actions against you - they look you up and see the HIPAA violation - in this instance you have lied on a state medical license application...
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Only the hospital would know. It is an internal personnel file. They have no incentive to publicize what you did and, in fact, personnel files are generally considered confidential. (That's almost funny in this context.)
 
Just got a description about what I can get 'judged on' for keeping my student status (just got accepted). In it, they also listed past employment history and nonacademic misconduct at institutions....
Should I be worried? @LizzyM
 
richierich22 said:
Just got a description about what I can get 'judged on' for keeping my student status (just got accepted). In it, they also listed past employment history and nonacademic misconduct at institutions....
Should I be worried? @LizzyM
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Did you leave voluntarily or were you fired? You may be asked to list all your prior employment, dates and reason for leaving. You may be asked to sign a release giving your former employers permission to release your employment record. The school may verify these facts. If you were fired for a HIPAA violation, that might be disclosed. For the most part, employers will just say, "Joe Jackson worked here from November 1, 2012-April 1, 2013."
 
I was fired. I was only there for about two weeks. Should I disclose prior to getting accepted then?
 
richierich22 said:
Just got a description about what I can get 'judged on' for keeping my student status (just got accepted). In it, they also listed past employment history and nonacademic misconduct at institutions....
Should I be worried? @LizzyM
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As for past employment history, there's no such thing as a national database of employment records. Unless you were either listed on their website, could be somehow found in Google, had it listed on your Facebook, or your Linkedin, then unless you explicitly state it on your resume or job application, no one will ever know.

I've seen job applications that explicitly state that you must list every previous employer. But what if you worked as something that you weren't proud of, like a stripper? Or what if you were fired? In these cases, you wouldn't want to list these former employers. If you omit them, then you'll have a gap in your employment, and might have some explaining to do. But since you were a student before medical school, nothing you did before matters.

Leave it off your resume, never speak of this again, and never ever step foot inside that hospital again. This is one of those things that are best swept under a rug. This isn't something you want to own up to. You're like Simba from the Lion King. You're banished forever, but sadly you can not make a heroic return.
 
I honestly do not know what they wrote and that's why I have been so hell bent on contacting them.
 
Thank you for your input planes2doc.

I graduated, then got that job for about a month. Then I was fired.

I applied to other jobs. Va hospital took me out of the running because of what the previous hospital said of me.

Took me about 6 months to find a job, then found one that lasted a good 2.5 years and did well in it.

Should I cover it? Seems like I have a decent reason to why it took me time to find a job.
 
richierich22 said:
Thank you for your input planes2doc.

I graduated, then got that job for about a month. Then I was fired.

I applied to other jobs. Va hospital took me out of the running because of what the previous hospital said of me.

Took me about 6 months to find a job, then found one that lasted a good 2.5 years and did well in it.

Should I cover it? Seems like I have a decent reason to why it took me time to find a job.
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If you were a traditional pre-med student, you weren't ever expected to work in the first place. There's no need to volunteer additional information that isn't necessary. Remember, there are plenty of people that get into medical school with only volunteering and shadowing. It would be one thing if you were out of college and sitting on your butt not doing anything, but in this case, you were a pre-med trying to get into medical school. Just list that job you did for 2.5 years, but nothing before then and do not mention the VA. Also in the future, never mention that hospital again. You never worked there, okay? Remember what @LizzyM said, they use internal records. So in the eyes of the law, you never did anything wrong.
 
Read everything carefullly. If you fail to disclose that job and it ever comes to light you will be expelled! If you sign something that says "this is a complete and accurate listing of ..." and it is not complete and accurate, then you are guilty of fraud!

Read Forgive and Remember by Bosk. Medical education can be forgiving of many things but not of dishonesty.
 
LizzyM said:
Read everything carefullly. If you fail to disclose that job and it ever comes to light you will be expelled! If you sign something that says "this is a complete and accurate listing of ..." and it is not complete and accurate, then you are guilty of fraud!

Read Forgive and Remember by Bosk. Medical education can be forgiving of many things but not of dishonesty.
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It's been a very long time since I've seen the AMCAS application... But if let's say that a student hypothetically had more than 15 paid jobs and didn't list the ones that he or she thought were most meaningful, then is that still considered lying?

Also on job applications, people omit jobs that they were fired from, and also jobs that people might have done for only a couple weeks or so even if they left under their own free will because it doesn't look good.
 
thanks LizzyM. That's a good point...don't need something else to worry about.

My school did not ask for such things, but I worry for the future! It seems like CBC and past checks abound!
 
AMCAS doesn't ask you to list every job you've ever had.

"The Work and Activities section is designed to give you the opportunity to include in your application any work or extracurricular activities that you would like to bring to the attention of the medical schools to which you are applying. You can add up to 15 entries. You will be prompted to summarize each experience. "
 
jonnythan said:
AMCAS doesn't ask you to list every job you've ever had.

"The Work and Activities section is designed to give you the opportunity to include in your application any work or extracurricular activities that you would like to bring to the attention of the medical schools to which you are applying. You can add up to 15 entries. You will be prompted to summarize each experience. "
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This wording is kinder than some job applications I've filled out. In this case, the OP should by all means omit the previous employment.
 
I definitely did not list in that section.

I'm just talking about future lists that require me to spill out all past jobs as part of a background check.

@LizzyM , do these so called employment checks come up often? Should I just place it on table to the dean and let them know now?
 
richierich22 said:
I definitely did not list in that section.

I'm just talking about future lists that require me to spill out all past jobs as part of a background check.

@LizzyM , do these so called employment checks come up often? Should I just place it on table to the dean and let them know now?
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How exactly will they find out? Unless they are able to go into your IRS tax filings, there is no way that anyone will find out past employment. Like I've mentioned before, there's no such thing as a national employment database. They can only verify the information you provide. But future employment is not medical school, and is something you'll do in the future.
 
The AMCAS does not ask for every job but when I applied for a job with the federal gov't a million years ago the application said, "Describe your current or most recent job in Block A and work backwards, describing each job you held during the past 10 years.... include VOLUNTEER WORK (non-paid work)-- if the work (or part of the work) is like the job you are applying for...."

It also required my signature on the statement, "I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of my statements are true, correct, complete, and made in good faith."

The form the school is asking you to complete for a background check may be similar.
 
LizzyM said:
The AMCAS does not ask for every job but when I applied for a job with the federal gov't a million years ago the application said, "Describe your current or most recent job in Block A and work backwards, describing each job you held during the past 10 years.... include VOLUNTEER WORK (non-paid work)-- if the work (or part of the work) is like the job you are applying for...."

It also required my signature on the statement, "I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of my statements are true, correct, complete, and made in good faith."

The form the school is asking you to complete for a background check may be similar.
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If you're applying for a federal government job, then I'm guessing that they will have access to your IRS records and I would definitely not lie about it. This means that the OP would likely not be able to get a job at the VA since he would have to disclose that they were fired for HIPAA violations.

As for typical background checks, I've been told that they can only go based on the information you provide them. If you were fired from a job that you worked at for years, and omit it; then if you even make it to a job interview, you'll be asked to explain the gap. But if you omit something and have a background check done, only the past employers you listed will be verified.
 
Planes2Doc said:
If you're applying for a federal government job, then I'm guessing that they will have access to your IRS records and I would definitely not lie about it. This means that the OP would likely not be able to get a job at the VA since he would have to disclose that they were fired for HIPAA violations.

As for typical background checks, I've been told that they can only go based on the information you provide them. If you were fired from a job that you worked at for years, and omit it; then if you even make it to a job interview, you'll be asked to explain the gap. But if you omit something and have a background check done, only the past employers you listed will be verified.
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Therefore someone fired for being duplicitous and looking at things he should not have been privy to, should compound that dishonesty by lying about it. That's the kind of colleague you want, Planes2Doc? Is that your way of operating? If it came to light that someone you had hired had been dishonest in this way, you would pat them on the back and say "no worries"?
 
richierich22 said:
I just got accepted to medical school.

What I'm worried about though is my past. I worked (after graduating) at my alma mater's hospital as a clinical research coordinator. I violated HIPAA rights (I looked at some medical records that did not pertain to my research), and was later fired. Nothing else happened...to my knowledge.

It's been about 4 years now - I am deeply regretful of what I did and my judgment then is not the same as it is now.

I've tried to figure out what the implications are, but the hospital will not even discuss it with me, nor my supervisor, or anyone associated there.

Am i screwed? I don't even know what to do beyond now. I'm just afraid it will be a skeleton that I don't know how to deal with.
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Without reading what anyone else has to say -- you are 100% in the clear... but don't ever show your face in that hospital again! There are plenty of fish in the see -- there is absolutely no need to, in any case.
 
LizzyM said:
Therefore someone fired for being duplicitous and looking at things he should not have been privy to, should compound that dishonesty by lying about it. That's the kind of colleague you want, Planes2Doc? Is that your way of operating? If it came to light that someone you had hired had been dishonest in this way, you would pat them on the back and say "no worries"?
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Well when you put it that way, I wouldn't want such an employee. 🙁 I take HIPAA very seriously, and I'm surprised that the hospital didn't take further action. Every now and then I read about HIPAA violations in the news. The employees are outed on the internet, and there are usually civil (if not criminal) charges filed against them. You definitely have a point.

As for employment, I think it does go both ways. For instance, one of my best friends got a job at a company in which he worked for two weeks at. He said it was the most miserable place he ever worked at. He left on bad terms that day. He omitted it from his resume because it would look bad. Some people may have worked jobs that they might not have been proud of. Do you remember the Duke Porn Star story about Belle Knox? A lot of things blew up in her and the guys who outed her's face. When someone commits gross negligence, there should be more oversight though. Otherwise, people can very easily sweep it under a rug.

At least people who cheated in college or failed to include transcripts will be caught due to the National Student Clearinghouse. As for jobs though, I think it goes both ways though. There's reasons why people should disclose, and reasons why they also shouldn't.
 
I think I will definitely disclose IF they ask me, and hoping they see I've distanced myself from that situation (it's been 3 years...hoping it will get past 10 years before it truly makes a difference)

Let's hope that medical school is forgiving!
 
LizzyM said:
Read everything carefullly. If you fail to disclose that job and it ever comes to light you will be expelled! If you sign something that says "this is a complete and accurate listing of ..." and it is not complete and accurate, then you are guilty of fraud!

Read Forgive and Remember by Bosk. Medical education can be forgiving of many things but not of dishonesty.
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Oh Puh-leeze. Give me an instance when someone has ever been expelled for not listing one of 15 jobs.

richierich22 said:
I think I will definitely disclose IF they ask me, and hoping they see I've distanced myself from that situation (it's been 3 years...hoping it will get past 10 years before it truly makes a difference)

Let's hope that medical school is forgiving!
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Do so at your own peril!
 
mehc012 said:
Looking at records from a patient who was seen yesterday (even if the physician asks you to let them know how the patient fared in the ICU, for example)
Looking at records from a patient who is in the ED during your shift, but who was not seen by your physician (never mind that I could easily look at their physical chart 8x while there, or a nurse could ask me to pull something up since I have a mobile computer), or the doc could ask me to check in and see if it is a case we should sign up for
Ever looking at your own records -- how on earth it is a HIPAA violation for ME to see my OWN records (is there any more profound consent than "I am the one choosing to undertake this action") is still beyond me
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I suspect these were all the policies of your scribe company and/or hospital, not actual HIPAA violations. My med school stated multiple times that they have no problem with us looking up our own medical records, so long as we can already access the EMR through our position (so someone who works in the gift shop, without access to medical records, would be in violation of this term if they looked up their own medical record). We were not, however, allowed to look up the records of our minor (or adult) children.

I suspect none of these would be an issue unless someone actually saw something that they weren't supposed to (a family member looking over your shoulder), and they audited the files and saw you were in the chart even though you didn't scribe for said person.
 
Even if they see that you worked there, it's not like your employment record or IRS reports have a giant red flag saying 'fired for HIPAA violation!' Remember, the hospital has as much motivation to avoid mentioning this incident as OP does.
 
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