[bpkinder]

I shared some personal hippa info with a colleague - we had shared personal info many times in the past, but I asked that this info remain confidential. A short time later, I was approached by another co-worker who stated that she had heard from my colleague about my procedure (although it was inaccurate) and wanted more info. I corrected the approaching co-worker about the procedure and did not confront the other co-worker about breaching our confidentiality. Ten months later, I was written up by my department, based on my colleague's inaccurate version of my procedure. Do I have any recourse?

[tickle]

Talking about a 'procedure' does not constitute a HIPAA violation. If you wanted to keep it confidential, you should have kept it to yourself. What I don't understand is what your department has to do with it? Was this somehow a company procedure?

[joypulv]

'Personal hippa info' is not a meaningful phrase. HIPAA is a law that sets parameters for mostly electronically transmitted medical data between/among medical facilities. If you mean that you had a medical procedure and told a co-worker, you don't have much chance of a complaint with personnel unless the co-worker was a supervisor, and it would most likely by a company policy complaint, not HIPAA. Why haven't you gone to personnel and given them the correct information? They have a right to know anyway, because they are liable for not only your safety at work (falling down stairs dizzy, e.g.) but also the safety of others (contagion, e.g.). There's no such thing as privacy about medical condition from employers, a common misconception.

[ScottGem]

Ten months later, I was written up by my department, based on my colleague's inaccurate version of my procedure.

This makes absolutely no sense to me. Why would your department write you up for sharing information about a procedure that you had with anyone. This is your own personal information and you can share it with whomever you want. It doesn't matter whether the co-worker got the info right or not. You only violate HIPAA if you reveal information that you are privy to because you are providing medical services to a patient and that info is revealed without permission of the patient. But YOU were the patient here, so you could tell whoever you want to tell.

So please explain more clearly what you were written up for.

[joypulv]

Possibly you work in a hospital where you are not allowed to use the services, and you did?