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Issue with father's former employer.

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 12:56 am
by Individual
My father is an orthopedic technician and had somewhat of an issue with a former employer, a doctor.

This doctor is a bit insane. He used to work at a practice with several other doctors, but he's an anti-social person (in psychiatry's sense of the word, not the common misunderstanding as "shy"). He's a very mean, rude, obnoxious, controlling person, with a very short temper. Well, the practice he worked at before forced him to go to anger management because of some problems with patients and co-workers. The guy has been in trouble a few times before and I heard he even got into a physical altercation with a patient before, which is why he was forced to leave his former practice and now he works completely alone (can't work with other doctors or at hospitals because of his personality issues).

Anyway, that's the background of it... Here's the news: My father was extremely depressed over working for this guy. All of his co-workers felt the same way. Working for this doctor was like torture. Well, my father is also an alcoholic. So, one weekend, he got completely wasted and his girlfriend called the hospital. I believe this doctor found out somehow -- maybe my dad didn't show up for work the next day, I don't know...

Well, my father found out that this doctor had actually been examining his medical records for the hospital visit and other past stuff, without his knowledge or approval. After he got back, my father said his co-workers acted a bit weird around him, so he thinks the doctors not only violated HIPA (medical records privacy law in America) by peeking into his records, but he actually talked to his wife about it, who then spread gossip around about my father being a drunk.

He talked to the vice president of the hospital's... risk management or something department... and they confirmed that the doctor illegally read my dad's medical records.

Well, my dad sent a letter to the Maryland medical board. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Re: Issue with father's former employer.

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:09 am
by Ben
Hi Individual

I think you handled this one well. I also recommend that you and your dad get some legal advice.
Kind regards

Ben

Re: Issue with father's former employer.

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:34 am
by Individual
Ben wrote:Hi Individual

I think you handled this one well.
I didn't do anything, actually. I just heard about it on the phone today.

Also, to clarify things, in case it's ambiguous: This doctor doesn't work at the hospital my father went to, for treatment of binge drinking. It's a totally separate facility, but he's affiliated with the hospital, so he has access to their database of records.

So, what the man did was a pretty blatant violation of HIPA. He wasn't my father's physician at the hospital, just his employer who got word of what happened and casually looked through my father's records... I don't think my father can sue, but he is filing his complaint and the doctor will likely get in a lot of trouble... Not jail time, but it'll hurt his career, for sure.

Re: Issue with father's former employer.

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:43 am
by Individual
I learned something interesting, by the way. Did you know that a doctor can get his license suspended for getting a DUI or using drugs, even while not working? Doctors are held to a very high ethical standard, where even minor crimes can have serious consequences for their career. It seems to be a pretty tough job... Not just avoiding drugs and alcohol, I mean, that's easy, but the long shifts, hard work, that's dangerous, gross, and risky.

Based on my dad's description of the doctors he's worked with, my own experiences with them, it seems like there's a standard mindset among doctors as being greedy, narcissistic workaholics. I'm curious as to what Namdrol would say about a doctor who casually looks at the medical records of an employee working for them, simply because he coincidentally happens to have access.

Re: Issue with father's former employer.

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 3:45 am
by Ben
Hi Individual

It would be a breach of our privacy laws if someone did something similar in Australia. In Australia, your father would have grounds to sue for damages as a result of economic loss or mental suffering caused by the inappropriate accessing and disclosure of information in his medical record. A lawyer may also be able to assist with other avenues of ensuring the doctor is made accountable for his actions.
Anyway, I hope it all goes well with your Dad.
Kind regards

Ben

Re: Issue with father's former employer.

Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:13 am
by Annapurna
Sorry to hear your father is an alcoholic.

Shouldn't he be away on therapy? Can he deliver proper work, whe he's intoxicated?
it seems like there's a standard mindset among doctors as being greedy, narcissistic workaholics.
Selfless workaholics fits many a lot better. To help suffering people, even when they are not feeling well themselves.

Doctors had the lowest life expectancy due to the stress, last time I looked.

Think of it...Many sick people demand to be treated as soon as possible, often too many to handle. Look at the full waiting rooms, and how long each patient has to wait to get treated.

Not because the doctors are napping or having a coffee break, but because somebody else is an emergency, is bleeding, allergic, in pain, or collapsing, and doctors have all hands full to do to figure out why,and that he doesn't die.

This causes enourmous stress.

Often a hospital doctor will have to work a whole day, and the following night, without a break, because of shifts.

You expect have a doctor present on weekends. So he's not at home to have time for his OWN children that weekend, or for his own recuperation, because he will have to work 14 days in a row.

My father was a doctor and died shortly after retirement from cardiac arrest..

My brother, after devoting his whole life to others, may not live long enough to enjoy his retired days as well...

Sad.

But of course you have jerks as well, like everywhere. Just don't think that all are, please.