Hipaa Breach
hipaa breach
Does Planned Parenthood respect HIPAA laws?
I recently was diagnosed with an STD (from being sexually assaulted)
I was thinking of going to Planned Parenthood because of their rumored low costs. However, I heard a situation in which my friend was dating a guy. A girl she knew called up and left a message saying “Hey just so you are aware, Cody was in Planned Parenthood for treatment of herpes. My Aunt works there and she treated him,”
Does that stuff happen often? I don’t wany anyone to know I have this STD.
Have you ever heard of situations like there where confidentiality is breached at Planned Parenthood?
The situation you described sounds like one person who was being irresponsible and violated HIPAA. Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens EVERYWHERE… not just at Planned Parenthood. For example, I found out about my HPV status at my normal ob/gyn office because the receptionist left my chart open right on the desk while she was checking me in for my appointment. I have also known this sort of thing to happen at the pharmacy where a friend of a friend finds out what medication someone is picking up. Unfortunately, this situation was totally inappropriate and came down to this aunt/girl putting personal feelings before privacy law.
In my own dealings with Planned Parenthood, however, they were totally respectful and I never had an issue with confidentiality. I am sure this was one of those isolated incidents and that PP does have to respect HIPAA law.
If you are truly concerned, you should try to find an anonymous STD clinic in your area. This is different from confidentiality and you remain anonymous. You might try finding a clinic here: http://www.hivtest.org/
FairWarning Privacy Breach Detection Solution Overview
|
|
Handling HIPAA & HITECH Act Breaches, Complaints, and Investigations: Everything That You Need to Know $69.95 The newest member of our HIPAA compliance guide family offers: -How to determine whether it is a breach. |
