SAMANTHA’S STORY

Read the following paragraph regarding HIPAA and answer the questions below the
paragraph.

Mr. Turner lived next door to Samantha, a former medical office student. She was assigned
at a laboratory for her community classroom experience. During her experience, she was
responsible for sending laboratory results to physicians' offices. While she was completing
her duties she saw a lab report for her neighbor, Mr. Turner. As it turns out, Mr. Turner was
HIV positive. Samantha went home and told her parents. Her parents were upset to hear
about his condition and worried about the children in the neighborhood. After all, they
didn't know much about HIV and had never met anyone with it before. Samantha's parents
told their friends, who happened to live on the other side of Mr. Turner. They told their
neighbor and pretty soon the entire neighborhood knew. Everyone began treating Mr.
Turner differently and would not allow their children to speak to him. Mr. Turner went to
his physician and received his lab results. He also discovered Samantha was a student
volunteer at the laboratory. He was really mad that his personal that very private medical
information had been spread through the neighborhood where he lived. He decided to
take action. He sued the physician, laboratory, and Samantha's parents! He won!
Samantha's parents were not able to pay the award for damages and were forced to sell
their home and everything they had because their daughter had not kept medical
information private.

 What did Samantha do wrong?

She looked at private information, and then with no right, spread it.

 What did Samantha's parents do wrong?

They as well willingly told other people confidential medical information.

 Was it appropriate for Mr. Turner to try to keep his diagnosis a secret from
his neighbors?

Yes, that is his right and he should have been given the respect of privacy.
  Was it appropriate for Mr. Tuner to sue?

Yes completely. In this case, he is the victim. His personal information should not
have been spread around like that by any means.

 How do you feel about Samantha's family losing their home?

I feel like that is upsetting, however it’s a consequence to their daughters and
their own actions. It would not have resulted in such measures had they
been respectful and kept his information under wraps.