HIPAA Horrors: The Consequences of Privacy Violations for Nurses

Working as a nurse gives you the opportunity to not only provide medical care to patients, but also to offer comfort and ease patients’ anxiety while they grapple with health issues. You have the chance to build relationships with patients and earn their trust. But what happens when you break that trust?

Abiding by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which everyone knows as HIPAA, is a cornerstone of the medical profession. Doctors and nurses are obligated to protect patient health information, and violations can have serious consequences.

Nurses who violate HIPAA are at risk of sanctions against their licenses. If you’re a nurse facing disciplinary action for HIPAA violations, you need a legal team that can defend your nursing license. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm has an extensive record of successfully protecting the rights and licenses of nurses facing allegations of violating HIPAA. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our confidential contact form to learn more.

The Reality of HIPAA Violations for Nurses

Nurses have access to a lot of patients’ private health information, and it’s their responsibility to keep it that way—private. But sometimes nurses can slip up, whether accidentally or intentionally. HIPAA violations that can lead to big trouble for nurses include:

• Viewing or sharing protected health information that you don’t need to see for healthcare purposes.
• Posting patient information on social media.
• Using another person’s credentials to access private information.
• Discussing patient information in public areas where others can hear.
• Improperly disposing of patient information in the trash.

The risk to your license depends largely on the severity and frequency of your violations. If you commit criminal HIPAA violations, you can not only lose your license, but you can also face huge fines and jail time. Criminal violations range from knowingly using or sharing information to maliciously disclosing private information for personal gain.

Why would a nurse ever do anything like that? Maybe you’re just curious when a celebrity ends up in your hospital. Or maybe you want to get back at an ex-partner for hurting you. Who knows? Whatever the situation, if you violate HIPAA on purpose, it can constitute gross misconduct that puts your license in jeopardy.

The State Nursing Board Won’t Take Kindly to HIPAA Violations

If a patient, their family, a co-worker, or an employer accuses you of HIPAA violations, their first stop will likely be the HIPAA compliance office at the hospital or facility where you work. The complaint will then go to the state’s board of nursing, which oversees licensure and enforces nursing regulations.

Each state’s nursing board has an established process for investigating complaints. If you’re facing HIPAA violations, you’ll have to go through this disciplinary process, and then the board can impose sanctions.

If the board determines that you willfully violated HIPAA, you’ll likely lose your job and have to deal with a suspended or revoked nursing license. If your violations were malicious or if you sold patient information or shared it for personal gain, you can also face criminal charges.

The LLF National Law Firm Can Defend Your License

If you’re a nurse facing a complaint for a HIPAA violation, whether intentional or accidental, you have a right to the best defense available. You should immediately secure a legal team that can protect your rights and defend your license. The Professional License Defense Team at the LLF National Law Firm can work with the state nursing board on your behalf, gather the evidence that best supports your case, represent you at a hearing, negotiate with the board for leniency, and help you achieve the best outcome possible. Call us at 888-535-3686 or complete our online contact form to schedule a consultation and get started.