When responding to online patient reviews, some healthcare providers are taking defending their reputation too far, and are violating HIPAA laws, The Verge reported April 1.
One North Carolina-based dentist was fined $50,000 by HHS after he responded to a negative Google review. In the response, the dentist used the full name of the patient, described in detail their medical condition and then wrote, "Does he deserve any rating as a patient? Not even one star."
This is not a rare occurrence though, with many frustrated medical professionals turning to their keyboards to defend their services against angry patients. Some healthcare workers have even posted about their patients' diagnoses, habits and lifestyles publicly according to a ProPublica report. Given that much of the information shared online by frustrated healthcare professionals about patients isn't given consensually, it is a violation of HIPAA laws, and can be fined as such.