Attention to Detail
I used to work at a long-term care pharmacy doing data entry work. I had a LOT of access to PHI/PII Names, DOB, addresses, SSN, and insurance information. I had submitted a statement of services rendered by my therapist to my HSA company so that I could get reimbursed. I attached the file and then checked to make sure I had the correct one.
It was then that I realized that, without knowing, I had accidentally posted a patient’s Medicare number in the document. This was a pretty huge gaffe and a potential HIPAA violation.
I immediately let the appropriate people know, both at my company and the HSA company. The HSA company was able to remove the document that had the patient’s information, and I resubmitted the document with the information removed.
My company’s compliance department appreciated my quick attention to rectifying a potentially bad situation. If I hadn’t double-checked, it would have been considered a breach of customer information and I likely would have faced disciplinary action.
Story credit: Reddit / xMCioffi1986x