Douglas County patients medical records violated for the sake of gossip

Any patient who signs the Electronic Medical Record notice that DCIPA and other clinics demand needs to realize that their confidential health history is now available to anyone who has access to that computer system. The only safeguard the system has is “the word” of that user, that they have the right to access the record due to their involvement in the care of the patient. There have been numerous reports by patients, whose “friends” or “enemies” work at various clinics across Douglas County, that those employees accessed their records without authorization to spread gossip and more. It happens more often than you think, but very few get punished for it. Almost no HIPAA violations or fines get levied due to the fact that those patients don’t know where to file such complaints. More than likely the computer techs at DCIPA and other sites are involved in the cover-up too in hiding the unauthorized access.