Thanks to social media, sharing information is easier than ever. And sometimes people – including healthcare workers – share a little too much information.

Take, for instance, the California hospital employee who took a photo of the medical chart of a patient being treated for an STD and posted it on Facebook, along with derogatory comments. Not only was such an action completely disrespectful – it was also completely illegal under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). And the ugly truth is that HIPAA violations can cost employers up to $50,000 in fines.

So how can you protect your facility and your patients from such reckless behavior?

As one of the leading medical staffing agencies in Northern California, Pacific Staffing knows that a clear social media policy is the only way. Unfortunately, though, many hospitals and healthcare organizations don’t have these kinds of policies in place – and are putting their facilities and their reputations at risk, as a result.

Interested in implementing a social media policy, but not sure where to start?

Here are some topics to consider covering:

• Be clear that anonymity doesn’t matter. Some workers think it’s acceptable to post something, as long as they change or hide the identity of the patient. But make it clear that such actions are unacceptable.
• Explain that there’s no such thing as privacy on the web. People think that private networks are really private…but the fact of the matter is that anything on the web is fair game because your network of contacts and connections can share information with their network of contacts and connections and so on. So consider anything you post online to be public.
• Zero tolerance for violations. This includes even seemingly minor acts, like posting a picture of an ER waiting room or mentioning a patient’s positive prognosis online.

Need Help Hiring Healthcare Workers Who Know the Law?

As one of the leading medical staffing agencies in Northern California, Pacific Staffing understands how important it is not only to hire people with strong medical skills and qualifications…but also those who understand the critical nature of HIPAA and maintaining patient confidentiality. If you’d like to know more about how we can help you find those types of professionals to hire, please contact Pacific Staffing today.