Several employees were fired from Baptist Hospital in Jay after learning that images of patients in a sedated state were posted on social media.
What happened
According to news reports, three patients have reached out to an attorney after learning that images of them were allegedly taken and posted on Snapchat. The patients said they learned about the incident after hospital administrators approached the impacted individuals, “seeking signatures on releases that included non-disclosure statements in exchange for monetary settlements.”
At first, one of the victims, who now has legal representation, said that the hospital administration claimed they were unable to show the victims the pictures or even tell them what exactly the pictures involved. The administrator allegedly said, “Trust me, they’re horrible.” The victim was initially offered $25,000 to sign the agreement, but soon the price was raised to $50,000. After this, the victim sought legal assistance to better understand the nature of the leaked information, like how many pictures were taken, where they were posted, and what they depicted.
Going deeper
According to the victims’ lawyer, the incidents took place back in February. In a statement from Jay Hospital, the hospital said, “Upon learning of the allegation, we immediately conducted a preliminary investigation and notified the appropriate authorities and the patients. The statement further read, “Following the investigation, the individuals involved were terminated. We are committed to protecting the privacy, safety, and dignity of our patients. As this matter involves patient privacy and is currently under investigation, we are unable to share further details at this time.”
The lawyer shared that he has met with the hospital administration in recent weeks to discuss the incident. He is currently pursuing a legal case revolving around invasion of privacy.
The big picture
Cases like this show that many HIPAA violations can be prevented with better training and an understanding of the consequences of privacy violations. In recent years, social media has been linked to other breaches. In September, multiple nurses in Santa Barbara were similarly fired for posting videos on TikTok, Reddit, and other social media platforms that appeared to mock patients. Currently, the investigation is ongoing with some patients claiming their privacy was violated.
FAQs
Why would employees take pictures of individuals without consent?
It’s unclear what the motives were of the alleged perpetrators, but cases like these can arrive due to lack of oversight, training, or a solid understanding of the medical code of ethics. Situations like this may be preventable with more training and a clear understanding of the consequences of a violation.
Will this breach be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services or the state of Florida?
Most breaches need to be reported to an agency, but the details of the report may not be visible to the public since so few individuals were involved.
Abby Grifno
