A patient at Winfield, Ill.-based Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group is suing the health system and a former employee for allegedly accessing her medical records and posting them on social media, according to CBS Chicago.
In the lawsuit, Gina Graziano alleges a Northwestern Medicine employee gained access to her medical records and illegally sent them to her ex-boyfriend. The ex-boyfriend then posted the her medical information on Twitter, the lawsuit charges.
Northwestern Medicine sent a letter to Ms. Graziano confirming there had been “inappropriate access” to her medical records. The employee, who has since been fired, allegedly accessed the medical records March 5 and 6, 2018.
The lawsuit claims the former employee viewed the medical records for 37 minutes before sending them to the Ms. Graziano’s ex-boyfriend. Police are investigating the incident.
Northwestern Medicine issued the following statement, according to CBS Chicago:
“Protecting the confidentiality of patient information is essential to our mission. Employees are trained to comply with privacy laws and face disciplinary action in accordance with our privacy policy for any violation. Regarding this specific incident, we do not comment on pending litigation.”
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