Patient's medical records are supposed to be kept confidential, so when employees at a hospital posted a woman's records on a Facebook page, she was shocked and embarrassed. The patient was treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for syphilis. Her ex-boyfriend worked at the hospital, along with two other UCMC employees who screenshot her medical records and posted them on a Facebook page titled "Team No Hoes."

After hearing about the posting, the hospital fired the main culprit, saying that he used his access to patient records for personal reasons. Medical privacy laws prevent all doctors from sharing a patient' medical information when it is not absolutely necessary for the patients' proper care. Some states or local laws require reporting injuries or illnesses to the government, but normally third parties are not able to access medical records.

Hospital employees have access to patient files in case they need to perform an emergency task and need the patient's information to do the job correctly. Unfortunately, irresponsible hospital workers at UCMC used this patient's medical records in order to embarrass her and help her ex-boyfriend get revenge after she terminated the relationship.

Lawyers say that publishing the private information was expressly illegal. The young woman is suing the hospital and the three individuals who were involved in the case. She is seeking $25,000 in damages for invasion of privacy, emotional distress, malice and negligence. If you believe that a hospital worker has violated your rights to privacy regarding your medical records, you need to request an investigation in to the issue. If you discover that you have a legitimate case, don't hesitate to call a local medical malpractice attorney to represent you in a lawsuit. Use this directory to identify an attorney near you!