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Veterans Affairs discovers off-label use for HIPAA [Whistleblower Control?]
[By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS]
“VA uses patient privacy to go after whistleblowers, critics say,” by Joe Davidson for The Washington Post, July 17, 2014.
Davidson writes:
“Citing patient privacy, managers have threatened VA employees or retaliated against those who complain about agency misconduct, according to a key congressman and the union that represents most of the department’s employees.”
Chairman Jeff Miller Speaks
Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), who as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is leading a probe into the cover-up of long waiting times for VA patients, tells the Washington Post that the “VA routinely uses HIPAA as an excuse to punish into submission employees who dare to speak out.”
Davidson adds that in a letter to President Obama earlier this month, Miller said,
“If VA cannot protect whistleblowers who reveal corruption it is not a system worth saving.”
As it turns out, the VA is no stranger to HIPAA. In 2006, the VA agreed to pay a $20 million fine because an agency employee took home records on 26.5 million veterans that were subsequently stolen by a burglar. The lost data included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and medical information.
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In 2012, six years following breach, a humble Roger Baker, the CEO of Veterans Affairs, told reporters,
“Nobody wants to have that same birthmark that we had relative to that laptop. I can tell you for certain that it has had a huge and lasting impact on the VA.”
(See: “6 lasting effects of 2006 VA data breach on privacy, security,” by Mary Mosquera, for GovHealthIT.com, May 24, 2012)
http://www.govhealthit.com/news/6-lasting-effects-2006-va-data-breach-privacy-security#.U8lufPldWz4
Assessment
I agree with Rep. Miller. The VA is not worth saving.
Conclusion
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Filed under: Ethics, Practice Management | Tagged: Is the VA Worth Saving?, VA, Veterans Administration | 10 Comments »
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