Getting dropped off
I recently had a job as a home healthcare caregiver, I worked at this job for 4 years, I was places at many different homes, recently I was terminated because my car had to go to the shop so I had my boyfriend drop me off for my overnight shift. A co worker text me earlier that day and asked if I could give her a ride home, no big deal right? I went to work 30 mins early to pick take her home...my boyfriend was in the car. She claimed to feel very uncomfortable about him saying "she can't do this all the time, if the boss finds out your both in trouble" she called the boss and told her I had him drop me off, and he now knows where our client lives. I was fired that day, was told I should have Taken a cab or uber because I violated a federal law (h.I.p.a.a) does anyone know if this is true?
I'm asking this question bc I just started a new job and my car is in the shop but they want me to hurry and work but today gonna ask me am I going to be catching a ride to work or using uber... I'm like WHAT DOES IT MATTER!??
Not to mention if your car breaks down they STILL want you to work. So they gonna trip or they want to fill their available hours!??
None of this makes sense. If you need to get a ride to work then that's just what it is. If that was a rule that should be in somebody's handbook or poster or SOMETHING. I Have never heard this
That sounds fishy to me. Your b/f NEVER went in the home, and your co worker asked you to help her by giving her a ride, she sounds like a miserable person. I mean you write it only happened that one time and that your b/f was in the car and co worker said that cannot happen all the time, now why your boss, upon hearing this did not just have a talk with you and tell you to never do that again I do not know.
Um when you would go to patient's homes people driving by would see you going in the home, so these strangers would be aware someone ill lived there. I have seen, when I have driven in my car, aides walking older people in neighborhoods, while the older people use walkers, and I have seen aides in stores with patients, so uh oh that means strangers could see them and go follow them home to see where the ill person lives.
If you feel you were wrongly terminated you could hire a lawyer, some will tell you over the phone ( for free) if they feel you have a case. And if you were a good caregiver ( worked hard, was great with your clients) then this is a true travesty. Some caregivers are awful, they are lazy, some steal, some come ill. Why with my own late Mother, I cared for her by myself for the last 5 years 8 months of her life, sadly she died in Feb of last year, but my siblings saw i was being run ragged and they told me to call in Hospice, I did and felt maybe they could help me strengthen my Mother, well when the aide came I still did everything for my mother and unreal the aide came here ill and my Mother ended up getting a pneumonia and died, I have NO doubt that aide sickened her. i kept my Mother so healthy all those years, I fed her the healthiest foods, i exercised her, I entertained her I even slept in the bed with her all those years to keep her safe, and here came that idiot aide sick, I told her she could not come in she insisted she would not sicken my Mother. Well put 2 and 2 together, she was the only ill person around my mother and my Mother got ill. And that aide had other patients and even told me that that day she came here ill she went home instead of going to her next patient because she feared she would make him sick. I wish I had NEVER called in Hospice! Oh and that aide took phone calls and made calls to her family from here as well as she called here and ahh I know damn well caregivers tell family where they work, suppose something happened to the aide, like say a patient went bonkers on them., or a fire happened or their car broke down at the client's home, whatever. I* could see if a caregiver invited family or friends into a client's home but who cares if others know where they live, how is that even a threat? I have read of stories of where elderly people were abused by aides and the newspaper tells the town they live in. On the news on tv they will have reports of some ill elderly person who was say robbed by fake utility workers and they show the home, the outside and say the town they live in, come on! Get a lawyer.
Maybe on this one I shoulda kept my mouth shut. I do know when I worked in healthcare we were not allowed to give a patient a ride home for safety. From what I have always been told is that: we can't say patients name, personal information or anything else without permission. And I see your point on uber and a cab. I'm guessing you just told your boyfriend that this was a person you were visiting and nothing more. If you know someone address then you can do a name search now on the internet. I don't know how people handle cabs and uber but if I was in one I wouldn't let them know I was being dropped off for work. I thought all persons information was confidential and if it's not then I won't be giving my address and phone. Number to staff anymore. I'm not trying to be smart either but either we respect privacy or we don't. Personally I see no harm what so ever, however not every one will have the perspective it's ok to take anyone where a patient lives and should provide transportation for their employees for this said reason. Yes, I believe your supervisor had it out for you for some reason and handled this completely wrong. If their employees didn't have a ride then they should have gotten your co worker transportation. This left you with no other choice and I would for sure get to the bottom of it, if possible. We are now stuck in a world full of rules that shouldn't apply. We suffer for any little mistake. Again I'm sorry u lost your job.
As long as the name of the clinet and the client healthcare issues where not told to BF there is no violation to HIPPA. Check with your state registery to see if there has been anything put on your record.
It is a violation of confidentiality. Im really sorry you lost your job and in the future I would ask permission in a situation like this. I say this a lot also, co workers are exactly what the word says. They are someone we work with. They are not our friends and in the future I would not let someone ride with me or drop me off unless it is a facility. We do find out patient information through our jobs but allowing others to know this information could put this person at future risk. Not saying you or your boyfriend but I wouldn't want strangers knowing where I live and that I was being taken care of. Once you think about it then you might could see where this would upset you also. It was your co workers duty however to report this. Had your employer found out another way then you both could have been fired. She followed policy and procedures. I fully respect what she did but in the mean time it was hurtful I'm sure for you. Hoping things turn around and you get your job back or another job soon. It was a honest mistake I'm sure but a law broken one also. Wish you the best
Hello San I work in home health care as well and I have never heard of that when I lost my car I had different people drop me off at my clients house and at the group home and nobody had ever said anything about that to me and if you didn't sign anything concerning that when you first started or through out the years you been there pertaining to that or if there didn't write you up or warned you about it then they are in the wrong go and file for your unemployment and seek another job while you still have income coming. Good Luck to you and God Bless
HIPPA, goes beyond patient medical condition, address can be considered personal information and that can fall under the violation umbrella. Perhaps you've learned your lesson giving co-workers a ride. Really sorry that happened to you.
There is no telling what your co-worker said to your employer. Having someone drop you off to work does not fall under a HIPPA violation. Research and knowledge is your best defense against what's happened to you.. After researching HIPPA rules and regulations and remembering your company's guidelines and stated rules I would file a complaint with EEOC. Hopes this help.
7 years later, but I just got into a HIPPA violation as well. I’m a Behavior Therapist and I got into 2 car accidents and i had recently started this job. My car is still in the shop and I won’t be getting it back until the 1st of February. To get to my sessions, I asked my aunt to drop me off at their home. I did not give her any addresses of the client just told her where to turn. I only did it for 3 sessions and now I have a mandatory meeting for god knows what in the work office. They briefly said it was a HIPPA violation, but I don’t understand why if I never gave her any information about the client or the address of where they stay. So now I’m waiting for 3pm to hit today and see if I don’t get fined/fired.