Doctor Accused of Unethical Chart Access

With the adoption of electronic of medical records, one concern that many stakeholders have is security of the records, particularly, who is accessing the records (auditing and logging).  I speak often to how electronic medical are more secure than a traditional paper record and this story is of particular interest for the reason that if Berkshire Medical Center was still using paper, no one would have discovered that the records were accessed.

"An employee of a Pittsfield, Mass.-based hospital is suing a physician there, claiming that the doctor accessed her medical chart because he was interested in her romantically. The employee, Ashley Keyes, is suing pulmonary and critical-care specialist Dr. Boris Alberto Murillo, as well as his employer, Berkshire Medical Center parent company Berkshire Health Systems.

The dispute arose from Keyes' discovery, in January 2006, that Murillo had been reviewing her electronic medical records for years. Murillo had allegedly been making sexual advances to Keyes during the same period. The suit accuses Berkshire Health Systems of failing to protect Keyes' HIPAA rights and failing to train Murillo properly in these rights. Keyes is requesting $250,000 in damages."

To read the complete story, click here.

Ryan Howard, CEO, Practice Fusion