Confidentiality of medical records is limited only to the professionals who have access to patients’ records for the purpose of keeping them private. Once it is violated, you could be in such big trouble. But before facing any complaints and accusations, it is best to consult and hire a nurse attorney for this matter.
At the time of the initial incident, the RN was employed as a registered nurse at a hospital in Abilene, Texas, and had been in that position for two (2) years.
On or about June 13, 2019, through June 17, 2019, the RN inappropriately accessed the medical record of the patient, multiple times for reasons other than patient care and/or job-related functions. The RN’s conduct violated patient confidentiality and was in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
In response to the incident, the RN acknowledges that he did access a patient’s record in June of 2019. As nurses, the RN explains that often patient records are accessed in advance to assess proper patient assignments and determine proper patient loads. With that said, the RN admits that as an employee and registered nurse he did not receive expressed consent to access that particular patient record. The RN states that when accessing patient records at Children’s Hospital, the computer software displays a “preview” feature prior to allowing a staff member access into the full file. The RN also states he did not use any of the information he accessed for any purpose and did not share the information with any person or publish the information to any forum. The RN claims he would never intentionally cause any additional pain to his patients or their families. And he states that he takes great pride in his nursing career and wishes that the Board allow him to continue to practice and better help his patients, their families and the entire nursing community.
As a result and is due to the RNs action, based on the evidence received, the Board has sanctioned and put the RN into disciplinary action.
Failure to hire a nurse attorney to fully defend your case can lead to this decision by the Texas Board of Nursing. Hiring a nurse attorneycould have changed the outcome of the case.
If you have questions regarding the Texas Board of Nursing disciplinary process, you can contact The Law Office of RN License Attorney Yong J. An for a confidential consultation by calling or texting 24/7 at (832) 428-5679 and ask for attorney Yong.