No Peeking! Regulators And Courts Send A Strong No-Snooping Message To Health Care Providers

It is clear that regulators and courts are not taking snooping lightly – particularly in cases involving sensitive health information – and courts are willing to impose high fines to reinforce that this behaviour is unacceptable.

A Masters of Social Work student learned the hard way that improper access of personal health information comes at a high cost, and in this case out of Goderich, Ontario, that cost was $20,000.

During an educational placement with a family health team between September 9, 2014 and March 5, 2015, this student accessed, without authorization, the personal health information of 139 individuals, including family, friends, local politicians and staff of the clinic. The student pled guilty to willfully accessing the personal health information of five individuals and was ordered to pay a total of $25,000 which includes a $20,000 fine and a $5,000 victim surcharge.