HIPAA/Privacy Violation?

[futuredust]

ARKANSAS.

Basics: Teenage son was in psych hospital for treatment. Several issues occurred including confidential information being shared outside of the facility, then posted on a local internet website.

Son discharged, and he asked if he could keep in contact with some of the staff he liked. He was told no by the facility because it was against the law.

So today son is approached (at school) by a high school student he does not know. They ask his name and then say you were in "name of facility".. He is a bit stunned. Student goes on to tell him a family member works where he was, and really likes him a lot and that if they can become friends and hang out then the staff member at mental health facility will then be able to communicate with him. The staff member told the relative to find him and tell him that they can keep in touch with each other if he and other student are friends. The hospital in which my son was for three months, is not local, and is in another town.

There were several other occurrences, which are/were breaches of confidential information. Including paper work with another patient's full name, social security number, insurance information/numbers, as well as parents full names, address and phone numbers in with my sons paperwork.

I find this a bit creepy, not to mention a violation of my child's privacy. I had made previous complaints in regard to his privacy while in-patient. Now he is out and the violations of his privacy continue.

Suggestions?

 

[lealea1005]

Call and speak with the director of the facility. Report to him/her what you've told us here. Then follow it up with a letter. They will call in that staff member and get their side.

The HIPAA violation is only one of the potential problems for that facility. The employee needs, at the very least, a reprimand and letter in their file. Perhaps, they could use a little counseling themselves. Because of the type of interaction between Psych staff and patients, there is potential to get a little over involved in a patient's life. However, professional staff members know where that line is and do not cross it. On the unit I used to work in, it would have guaranteed immediate termination of our job.

Good luck.

 

[futuredust]

Here is my concern about calling.

I have no idea what all this other child has been told. So should the relative be reprimanded or terminated, will the other student then begin to talk about what they were told.. possibly out of anger because the relative got into trouble.

Who knows.

But I have a teenage child who has issues with depression and self worth, who has now had his business told to at least one stranger in his own school. A teenager who is obviously loyal to the aunt and agreed to hunt up my son. Did she give a physical description... how did this other student know how to find my son. The other student is a female, high school girls can be catty, I was one and have one.. I know.

We have one month of school left, my son is getting along fine since being out. I am worried this can all turn into a huge mess. He knows I am upset over this and has begged me not to say anything because he is fearful it will make them mad, thus making the last month an issue for him. He has three years of school left in a very small town.. this could hurt him. But I am livid some random female staff I have never seen is seeking out my teenage son.

 

[futuredust]

I was just informed the staff member is 22 years old, and my son turned bright red over her name and started stuttering....

Given all the recent incidents of teacher/student instances, I am pretty concerned.

 

[CJane]

Contact the facility director first thing Monday morning. Explain all of your concerns.

Am I to assume the kiddo is in continuing counseling?

 

[futuredust]

He is in therapy with his original therapist from before the inpatient stay.

The admin. was absent a large amount of time during his stay, due to medical issues. When his in patient therapist quit, the admin took over as his therapist. I asked her if she was now back on a full time basis so that my son could get consistent therapy, to which she replied yes. She then had another staff member call me the day of our next session to cancel and reschedule, I asked to reschedule for either Friday or Monday (cancel was on a Thursday)- I was then told that would not be possible because she (the admin) was going to be out for the next week.

The admin was reported by my sons current therapist for her wrongdoing in allowing son to believe I just failed to show up, and canceling a session for no reason other then "she didn't think he was up to a session".. When my son called that night he was highly upset I did not show up, I explained it was canceled, to which he became even more upset that she made a decision for him without even discussing it with him or even seeing him that day.

 

[futuredust]

Also, I removed him AMA. After a long discussion with his (previous) therapist regarding his treatment. In the three months he was there we had two family sessions and he had seven therapy sessions. The intent of the hospitalization was for intensive therapy, which he was not receiving at all.

Both in house staffed therapists have quit, along with the psychiatrist of the facility. It was decided that he was stable enough to leave and be seen twice a week by his previous therapist. So I removed him.