Woman Asks About Getting A Receptionist Fired For Violating HIPAA Regulations About Her Pregnancy

It's exciting when someone finds out they are having a baby. It is exciting news for the parents, friends, and family as well.

Most people love to throw huge parties or celebrations to reveal when they find out they are pregnant. Many people plan a grand reveal to tell their family that they are expecting.

Parents often do gender reveals to announce the baby's gender to everyone (even themselves). The most popular celebration, of course, is the baby shower.

The point is, having a baby is exciting, and sharing the news is a significant part of the pregnancy and parenting journey.

Imagine if that excitement of telling your family was taken away from you because of a HIPAA violation. Ruining the excitement for new parents can be devastating.

It doesn't matter if you think these celebrations and reveals are unnecessary; they are not for you; they are for the parents and family. It may be your twelfth pregnant patient of the day, but this is the first baby for these parents.

We are going to dive into a story where a woman's pregnancy announcement was ruined because of a HIPAA violation. The receptionist told her mother that she was pregnant before she even left the office.

Let's just say... she's angry and asking for advice on getting the receptionist fired.

Okay, so here's the story...

She finds out she's pregnant and then goes to her doctor's appointment. Now, the lady at the front desk is friends with her mother.

This is where it starts to get a little odd. You might be starting to wonder what exactly is about to happen.

It's already a red flag that she's worried about this lady telling someone about the news before she could.

She has a good point about the family's reaction

The receptionist ruined the surprise of telling her mother that she was pregnant. I think it's safe to say that we would all be a little upset if this happened to us.

She's right; if it were someone else in a different situation, it may have ended differently. I mean, what else is this receptionist willing to disclose?

Summary of the situation...

Basically, a receptionist at the doctor's office told a woman's mother that she was pregnant before she could even tell her.

Here come the responses..

HIPAA is designed to protect against these instances. It is no different just because the receptionist was friends with her mother. It should have remained confidential.

This situation could have happened to anyone with any news. Doctors and healthcare workers are required to keep all patient information confidential.

anglerfishtacos

Huge HIPAA Violation

Yes, the OB office definitely needs to know because that's completely unacceptable. She should be reported.

Who knows how many others she's done this to just because she's friends with the family?

DocJust

She's right about that too

You never know how the family will react to a pregnancy announcement. If her mother hadn't been excited and had the opposite reaction, it could have been a very bad situation.

It's a classic case of not minding their own business. It is very disrespectful to share news that isn't yours to share.

It definitely could have been a worse scenario with someone else.

US_Justice_Apartment

Another person saying to report her.

It's sad that someone else had a similar situation. This type of situation is not okay and should be reported, no matter what.

This is a situation where things got worse once the news was shared when it wasn't supposed to be, and by whom it wasn't supposed to be.

heishancell

Right!

Reporting her seems like the logical course of action. She shouldn't have done what she did.

It's safe to say that we'd all be upset if this happened to us.

attabe123

"Major dick move"

Very true; she knew she'd tell your mother before you could tell her. It was very cynical of her to share the news, deliberately knowing that she'd tell her mom first.

We just want to know what her goal was.

diagnosedwolf

Thinking about this situation can make anyone angry. This girl deserves all the justice she can get.

Pretty much everyone agrees that the receptionist was in the wrong and should be fired for violating HIPAA regulations. I'm just glad her mom is happy and they are celebrating the news.

Comment below what you think about this story and how you'd react if this happened to you.