Can Nursing Home Patients Expect Any Privacy?
For the more than a year, residents at Charlotte Harbor Healthcare in Port Charlotte, FL were intentionally monitored by hidden cameras camouflaged beneath ceiling tiles. The cameras were discovered when investigators from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) were inspecting the facility for mold earlier this year. The feeds from the cameras were routed to the administrator, Thomas Bell's office. Bell told AHCA representative that the cameras were there 'to prevent theft'. Despite Bell's assertion, no theft-related incidents had been reported at Charlotte Harbor. Residents were never informed on the cameras presence. AHCA is evaluating the circumstances...
More
Nurses Fired For Distributing Patient Photos On Facebook
Three nurses at New Park House, an English Nursing Home, were fired following the posting of patient photos on their Facebook accounts. The incident highlights the importance of patient privacy in a world where confidential patient information can be distributed with the click of a mouse. Nursing home residents have a right to privacy. In the U.S. patient privacy is protect by the Health Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA- Federal Register, 164.508). The Act specifies that patients' medical charts can only be distributed to authorized individuals with the written authority of the individual. Further, the request can...
More
Page:
1
