John T. Martin reports on a disturbing case of insider-wrongdoing:
A law firm says it has spoken with at least six women who received an apology letter in recent months from Deaconess Health System stating a physician accessed their medical records without purpose.
The firm, Ladendorf Law of Indianapolis, may pursue claims on behalf of those women, all of whom live in the Evansville area.
The women all reported having conversations with the physician at bars on the city’s West Side, attorney Taylor Ivy said.
Read more at Courier & Press.
The number of women has not been revealed publicly at this point by Deaconess Health System, but in at least one case, the doctor — who was subsequently fired — allegedly showed up at the woman’s place of work.
The problem was discovered by “routine audit” on January 26, it seems, but the inappropriate access to patient records began no later than June 2020 (based on dates in the one available apology letter).
Insider snooping of this kind creates horrible trust issues for patients. Just training employees on proper access and HIPAA is not enough, as we have seen time and time again.