{"id":2383,"date":"2023-09-01T02:29:49","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T02:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kleetos.com\/?p=2383"},"modified":"2025-05-20T15:19:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T15:19:28","slug":"the-consequences-of-mishandling-patient-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brightsquid.com\/us\/the-consequences-of-mishandling-patient-information\/","title":{"rendered":"The consequences of mishandling patient information"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.\u00a0The golden rule is the best policy when it comes to patient privacy.<\/strong>\u00a0Think about how you\u2019d like your information handled, and treat your patients\u2019 information with the same respect and care. That perspective is a good place to start when creating your clinic\u2019s privacy policy and procedures. And if you train your staff to respect patient information as they would their own, you\u2019ll likely never have to worry about the consequences of mishandling protected patient records.<\/p>

In Alberta, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) is responsible for \u201censuring public bodies, health custodians and private sector organizations uphold the access and privacy rights contained in the laws of Alberta.\u201dWith access to Netcare expanding in Alberta, it\u2019s important that you understand how to uphold the Province\u2019s access and privacy rights.<\/strong>For starters, what happens when the law is not followed?<\/p>

For reference, here are five OIPC articles detailing cases of inappropriate access to health information and the consequences that followed.<\/p>

  1. A $3,000 fine received<\/a>\u00a0for accessing health information in contravention of the Health Information Act (HIA)<\/li><\/ol>
    1. A former supervisor of health information management<\/a>\u00a0was convicted for unauthorized accesses to health information.<\/li><\/ol>
      1. A judge issued a $5,000 fine<\/a>\u00a0when a woman plead guilty to wrongly accessing the health information of 26 people.<\/li><\/ol>
        1. A person was convicted<\/a>\u00a0of inappropriately accessing health information after the OIPC completed an investigation and referred the matter to Crown prosecutors at Alberta Justice.<\/li><\/ol>
          1. An investigation by the OIPC<\/a>\u00a0resulted in 14 charges being laid against an individual under the Health Information Act (HIA).<\/li><\/ol>

            The proper handling of patient information is an important part of privacy policies and procedures outlined in your clinic\u2019s Privacy Impact Assessment.<\/strong>\u00a0Much of the law is common sense – don\u2019t access information you have no professional business accessing. If your clinic staff adhere to the procedures contained in a PIA accepted by the OIPC, you can be much more certain you are protecting patient privacy as required.<\/p>

            For more information on how to create a PIA and what\u2019s required, visit\u00a0AlbertaPIA.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.\u00a0The golden rule is the best policy when it comes to patient […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brightsquid-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nHandling Patient Information with HIPAA Compliant Email | Brightsquid<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how improper access to patient data can lead to fines and legal action. 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