Editorial Urges Strengthening of Patient Privacy Protections
"Details are murky about Tri-City Medical Center's decision to fire five employees and discipline a sixth for allegedly discussing patients on Facebook," a San Diego Union-Tribune editorial states. It continues that "medical privacy is likely to become a bigger and bigger issue" because the federal economic stimulus package included funds to encourage health care providers to adopt electronic health records. The editorial concludes, "We hope Tri-City's latest firings deter any more privacy scandals at local hospitals. Patients deserve their privacy -- and the letter and the spirit of the laws protecting them are clear."
- "Tri-City's Privacy Scandal" (San Diego Union-Tribune, 6/13).