Can accessing a patient’s chart cost your job or nursing license?

As a licensed nurse, you help people when they are at their most vulnerable. You also have access to some of their most private information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal statute that governs the medical records of patients. HIPAA gives every patient the right to access their records and…

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Doctor-patient confidentiality: What happens if you breach it?

When a patient visits your practice, they hope to receive the best possible care so they can get back on their feet and resume their day-to-day life. Additionally, they expect critical information they shared with you, or your staff, regarding their health will not end up in the hands of a third party. This is…

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Does Hulu’s “Dopesick” portray real consequences for medical professionals?

Many fans of the limited series “Dopesick” on Hulu wonder just how realistic the portrayal of the characters was. Specifically, Dr. Finnix, portrayed by Michael Keaton, a small-town physician in Appalachia who experiences first-hand the horrors of opioid addiction both in his own life and the lives of the patients he treats. Were the consequences…

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