For the thread that is now titled "nm"

I am way late since the original post has been edited. However, the post about gossip and Steve Tyler and a medical condition...well I was looking up something else today doing research and came across this info from 1010 wins site (I was goggling something else):

Hospital Workers Suspended for Leaking Clooney's Medical Info

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (AP) -- Doctors and employees at Palisades Medical Center were suspended for allegedly leaking actor George Clooney's confidential medical information after he was hurt in a motorcycle accident last month, according to a broadcast report.

Clooney suffered a broken rib and scrapes in the Sept. 21 crash in Weehawken, while his passenger, Sarah Larson, broke her foot. Authorities said the motorcycle and a car collided on a narrow road in the Hudson County town across the Hudson River from New York City.

WCBS Television in New York reported Tuesday night that as many as 40 staffers were suspended without pay, accused of accessing Clooney's medical records and providing information to the media, which is a violation of federal law.

"This is the first I've heard of it,'' Clooney said in a statement released late Tuesday. "And while I very much believe in a patient's right to privacy, I would hope that this could be settled without suspending medical workers.''

Further details about the disciplinary actions were not immediately available, but a spokeswoman for the union representing some of the workers said they had been suspended without pay for four weeks.

"We believe this is a harsh penalty and an overreaction,'' said Jeanne Oterson, a spokeswoman for the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union, adding that a grievance could be filed pending further investigation.

Oterson told The Associated Press that seven members of her union were among those suspended, but said they had merely accessed the records and not divulged information to anyone outside the hospital.

"The union takes issues of privacy very seriously, whether the patient is George Clooney or John Doe. But none of (the union members) are charged with violating confidentiality, but rather with looking at the records. We feel this penalty involved a rush to judgment because of the fame of the patient involved.''

Oterson called on the hospital to change its system that allows people access to patients' medical information so similar situations don't occur in the future.

A message left after-hours for Eurice Rojas, the hospital's vice president of external affairs, was not immediately returned Tuesday night. In a statement to WCBS, the hospital said it takes any violation of a law seriously and that it was investigating.

Two most interesting points (to me)

[b]Tuesday night that as many as 40 staffers were suspended without pay, accused of accessing Clooney's medical records and providing information to the media, which is a violation of federal law. [/b]

and

[b]Oterson told The Associated Press that seven members of her union were among those suspended, but said they had merely accessed the records and not divulged information to anyone outside the hospital. [/b]

Some got suspended for just LOOKING at the records and not releasing it to the public or talking about it with anyone, JUST LOOKING. It just validates the point that some of us were trying to me that the posters Dr friend could get in trouble for sharing it with her.

A few people were telling others to "just chill" relax or whatever when some were just trying to pass on knowledge.

I'm not trying to be a brat, cause drama or any of the other typical words tossed around her. If this was my Dr friend that told me (although I would assume they know the law) I would be sure to go back and tell the Dr how they COULD get in trouble.

Message edited 10/21/2007 11:18:40 PM.

Re: For the thread that is now titled "nm"

Deb, I agree with you. They absolutely can get in trouble just for looking at the record even if you don't give out any information. When the charting is on computer like this hospital, the computer is able to record a log of anyone who looked at a particular chart. If you are not directly involved in the care of the patient or the billing process somehow, than you are not allowed to look at the chart. Paper charts are harder to track because there really is little way to stop people or know who looked, but with computers now you really can't get away with this. This topic has been brought up at my job because of what happened in this case, and also this happened with the Nixmary Brown case, and workers were suspended for the same thing. IMO the people that gave info to the media should be fired and the people that looked should have been suspended.