Doctor and Two Former Hospital Employees Plead Guilty to Illegally Accessing Patient Records

Nine months after the beating death of Little Rock anchor Anne Pressly, a physician and two former employees of a Little Rock medical center pleaded guilty July 20 to illegally accessing her medical records, a misdemeanor violation of HIPAA.

The three individuals acknowledged they accessed the records out of curiosity and without any legitimate purpose. Each had received HIPAA training. 

The physician was suspended for two weeks and ordered to complete additional HIPAA training, and the employees were fired.

The pleas represent efforts by the Department of Justice to step up enforcement of HIPAA.  Each of the individuals faces up to a year in jail and a $50,000 fine. Sentencing is expected to occur within the next two months.

If you have any questions about HIPAA, please contact
Patrick Seiter or Aminthe Broussard.