Nurses fired for posting pics of patient and 'stuck sex toy'

[edbermac]

LAKE GENEVA, Wis. -- Nurses accused of photographing a patient and posting the pictures on the Internet have been fired.

The investigation started with an anonymous call from an employee at Mercy Walworth Medical Center in Lake Geneva, with the allegation that a nurse took pictures of a patient with her cell phone and posted them on her Facebook page. Last week, the nurse told 12 News she never posted the pictures on the Internet. Investigators have since interviewed the nurse and said she offered more details.

"There were two nurses that independently took a picture each of an X-ray of a patient," Walworth County Undersheriff Kurt Picknell said.

The patient was admitted to the emergency room with an object lodged in his rectum. Police said the nurse explained she and a co-worker snapped photos when they learned it was a sex device. Police said discussion about the incident was posted on her Facebook page, but they haven't found anyone who actually saw the pictures.

The nurse removed her Facebook page from the Internet last week. Without more, Picknell said this conduct does not appear to violate any state laws. He has referred the case to the FBI. "We've notified federal authorities of this allegation to see if there are federal violations, most notably HIPAA violations, patient rights," he said.

The hospital did not return a call seeking comment.

http://www.wisn.com/cnn-news/18796315/detail.html

:blush::blush::blush::blush:

[Dr. Strange]

1. I almost posted this in the GD thread.

[MrCoffee]

3. Upgrade to Pro today!

Heh. You have a tiny bandwidth.

[Dr. Strange]

5. Can you see it now?

Please, no comments on my bandwidth.

[MrCoffee]

6. It sort of looks like those silhouette faces from Electric Company

[InternalDialogue]

9. "P" "ron"

"Pron"

[Pierre.Suave]

2. Someone is getting fired and/or fined bigtime and/or losing a license

do not fuck with HIPAA. I also suspect there will be a lawsuit before too long.

[NJmaverick]

4. There is going to be one big time lawsuit

$$$$$$$$

[Dr. Strange]

8. Is there?

It doesn't sound like the person's identity was revealed by the nurses. If the aggrieved party brings a lawsuit, then their identity will be known to everyone. So I'm not so sure there will be a suit.

[Pierre.Suave]

10. Under the HIPPA laws

you dont actually need to give out the name, all you need to do is release enough identifying info so someone else could identify the person...

I think there is enough here that would allow another nurse at the hospital, who was not involved but still knows about it, to identify the person, and since she has no reason to access the records, the nurse that posted it is in violation of HIPPA by releasing this picture.

[NJmaverick]

12. I believe that's a $50,000 fine right there

[Dr. Strange]

13. Oh yeah, I can see this as a HIPAA violation.

And I can see the nurses being fined.

I'm wondering more about whether the person in the xray would bring a suit. Seems like a no-win situation for them (to some extent).

[Pierre.Suave]

14. It depends on how badly they want money

and whether or not they can convince the judge to issue a gag order I guess.

[NJmaverick]

11. It will be interesting to see how it plays out

Does the person go for the big money or their privacy. After all even with out the identity being revealed by the nurse, it's a matter of a person's rights being violated. I would have to think the potential settlement or award would be substantial. I also wonder if there would be ways, such as judge imposed gag orders etc to allow the suit to go forward with out having the person's medical issues going public (beyond what it already has).

[Shell Beau]

7. I am sure the person with said foreign object was embarrassed

enough without having his ass posted on facebook. Really, she should have gotten fired and more.

[Pierre.Suave]

17. I say we post her ass on facebook...

:rofl:

That will show her!!!!!

[LeftyMom]

15. Flared base, people.

This sort of thing is a failure of sex education.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. I am retired from nursing, and I can tell you what she did

is a gross violation of any ethical standard and of patient privacy.

I would not want her near any patient.

Period.

Ugh.