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Katie
Lv 5

Should I file a complaint against my healthcare provider?

I work in health care and know about HIPPA (privacy act protecting patients from breaching information about their medical/health records) and I take it very seriously.

Recently, my healthcare provider (a therapist) left me a voicemail which gave in depth information about billing information, insurance information (in terms of what was covered and what was not, also number of sessions requested and the exact expiry date of those sessions), also giving my insurance providers name. The message was about 2 minutes long explaining in depth about my treatment plan/health information. Knowing that this information left on my voicemail was definitely a breach in confidentiality, I have filled out the form for a complaint with the US department of health and human services. I haven't submitted the complaint because I feel bad about reporting her. If they find she is guilty of breaching information, she may be fined a minimum of $50k which I feel she would go bankrupt - but also I am upset about this breach and how carelessly she put my information out there, but that she may be doing it to others.

Is it wrong of me to file a report? Or should I just let it go? One of the things that is stopping me is that if they were to find her guilty, and investigate the situation, my identity would be released to my provider and I don't know what would happen at that point.

So, should I submit the report, or let it go?

5 Answers

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  • Judith
    Lv 7
    7 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    I don't believe that she violated anything. She wasn't giving out medical records e.g. symptoms, surgeries, meds, tests, diagnoses, etc. She was talking appointments and the dates of those appointments, billing and insurance information. She violated nothing.

  • Anonymous
    7 years ago

    Billing info left on a voicemail of number given that is your is not a hippa vilotion(at least not one that will hold up) if you don't want her to leave you voice mails like that tell her don't go running to the hipaa people

    Source(s): me
  • ?
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    Perhaps you should complain to your therapist and tell her that it was a mistake for her to leave that on your voice mail. I would try to deal with it that way before I would file a complaint.

    Did somebody who was not supposed to hear the information listen to the voice mail? Was your information actually breached?

  • 7 years ago

    She was trying to help you with insurance changes. You really harmed her for trying to do you a favor.

    You should speak to her about it, before you throw her to the wolves. What harm has this caused yo other than knowing it does not meet the letter of HIPPA?

    Well, if your identity were known, I sure wouldn't treat you!

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  • ?
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    There was nothing wrong leaving that info on your voicemail if you previously okayed them to do so.

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