I sent my doctor an email on her personal email for another matter, however, I had been to see her recently and discussed using my medication. Several months later, she took that email and forwarded it to many people with an invitation to an event. I sent her an email and said, "Why would you sent out this email, with personal information on it?" She stated that she was just going to send the email to me but then decided to add others to the email - forgetting to erase my personal email. I'm ready to change doctors because our trust has been broken. But is this a HIPAA violation? And if so, how to I report this?

Your personal info no, but info about your medication could be. But it also appears to be merely over site where she on her personal email ( not company) forwarded info you provided.

The fact you sent it to personal is not an excuse, but it is a reason for a mistake.

So if it is, I guess I want to know what do you want them to do ? They could take an updated class on the rules, perhaps put a warning in the doctors file ( if she works for a company)

Thank you, I'm not looking for any money and don't want her to be punished, maybe just more aware. It was very embarrassing for me because the email went to my friends and people that I work with at a volunteer org. I still feel like the trust is gone.

She's the sole doctor and it was a personal email address.

I thin more than anything I was embarrassed and wanted to know if I was valid in my reasons for leaving the practice.

If the e-mail did not contain any info about your medical diagnosis and treatment, its not a HIPAA violation. As I understand it, you sent her the personal e-mail on a matter outside the patient/doctor relationship that had nothing to do with her treating you as a patient. In that case, I don't see a violation of anything.

I don't know what personal info was in the e-mail, but if the e-mail she sent went to people that already know you, I'm not sure what the embarrassment would be.

It was embarrassing because I alluded to the fact that I got a secondary infection aka yeast infection. That was the information that was sent to other mutual friends and a whole group of people (men & women)that I work with in a volunteer organization. I wouldn't have broadcast that info out to the general public.