An Ohio woman whose medical record was posted to Facebook, revealing her
name and a syphilis diagnosis, has sued the hospital where she was
treated and the worker who accessed her information.
The 20-year-old Cincinnati woman, who filed the lawsuit this week in
Hamilton County court, said that the events of the case were set in
motion in September, when she refused to tell her ex-boyfriend why she
was being treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Her ex-boyfriend, identified as Raphael Bradley, 28, then contacted
another woman he was romantically involved with who worked at the
hospital, according to the lawsuit.
That woman, identified as Ryan Rawls, looked up the woman's medical record and gave it to Bradley, according to the lawsuit.
It was then posted to a Facebook page about allegedly promiscuous women, the lawsuit said.
"It couldn't be more egregious in my estimation, and the University of
Cincinnati Medical Center owes a duty to their patients to ensure this
doesn't happen," said Mike Allen, the Cincinnati attorney who's
representing the woman who filed the lawsuit. "They can't hide behind a
shield of, 'This employee was acting outside of the scope of their
responsibilities.' If that's going to be their defense at trial, I'm
looking forward to the trial."
The Associated Press is not naming the woman who filed the lawsuit because the case involves her private medical records.
Hospital spokeswoman Diana Lara said Friday that Rawls, who worked in
the billing department, was fired within days of the hospital learning
of the Facebook post last year and that the case was forwarded to
federal authorities because Rawls was found to have violated federal
privacy laws regarding medical information. There is no record of any
federal or local criminal charges pending against her.
Rawls had an unlisted number and an attorney has not been listed for her
in the lawsuit. Bradley's phone number rang unanswered Friday.
Lee Ann Liska, president and CEO of the hospital, said in a statement
that all employees have been reminded that the unauthorized access or
sharing of medical records is a betrayal of trust with patients "and
cause for immediate termination."
"We are outraged that anyone might misuse a position with UC Health to
attempt to embarrass or cause harm to another person," Liska said. "This
is contrary to our ethic and the training we provide to our associates,
and we took immediate action as a result."
The lawsuit names the hospital, Rawls and Bradley.
It seeks a minimum of $25,000, saying that since the Facebook post, the
woman has lost friends, been harassed about her medical condition and
has suffered extreme emotional distress.
No comments:
Post a Comment