Sanction and Penalties against Violators of Social Media Policies and HIPAA

Sanction differs and is dependent on the extent of the breach.

Minor violations may be handled internally.

Violators may be subjected to additional training on PHI protections.

Serious violation fetches disciplinary actions: termination or punishment by the board of nursing in the jurisdiction the nurse is practicing in may be warranted.

Complaints submitted to the DOJ against providers and healthcare organizations may fetch fines and jail terms.

Fines of up to $250,000 or jail terms of up to 10 years.

Evidence-based strategies to prevent/reduce confidentiality, privacy, and security breaches

Educating healthcare providers on PHI protection measures with social media use.

Retrieving and destroying improperly disclosed PHI.

Modifying policies on social media use to prevent it from being a source of PHI security compromises.

Warning providers of potential penalties for breaching security, privacy, and confidentiality of PHI (Seh et al., 2020).

References

Balestra, M. L. (2018, March). Social Media Missteps Could Put Your Nursing License at Risk. American Nurse. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.myamericannurse.com/social-media-nursing-license-risk/