Two nurses at Mercy Walworth Medical Center in Lake Geneva, WI, accused of photographing a patient and posting the pictures on the Internet have been fired. The investigation started with an anonymous call from an employee at the medical center, with the allegation that a nurse took pictures of a patient with her cell phone and posted them on her Facebook page. County authorites said they have notified federal authorities of the allegation to see if there are federal and HIPAA violations.
The investigation started with an anonymous call from an employee at Mercy Walworth Medical Center in Lake Geneva, with the allegation that a nurse took pictures of a patient with her cell phone and posted them on her Facebook page.
Last week, the nurse told 12 News she never posted the pictures on the Internet. Investigators have since interviewed the nurse and said she offered more details.
"There were two nurses that independently took a picture each of an X-ray of a patient," Walworth County Under sheriff Kurt Picknell said.
The patient was admitted to the emergency room with an object lodged in his rectum. Police said the nurse explained she and a co-worker snapped photos when they learned it was a sex device. Police said discussion about the incident was posted on her Facebook page, but they haven't found anyone who actually saw the pictures.
The nurse removed her Facebook page from the Internet last week. Without more, Picknell said this conduct does not appear to violate any state laws. He has referred the case to the FBI.
"We've notified federal authorities of this allegation to see if there are federal violations, most notably HIPAA violations, patient rights," he said.
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