Former Hospital Worker Faces HIPAA Charges

Federal prosecutors in Texas have taken the relatively uncommon move of pursuing criminal charges against an individual for alleged HIPAA violations. The case serves as a reminder that healthcare workers can potentially face prison time and hefty monetary fines for wrongful disclosures of patient data.

The U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month announced the criminal indictment of Joshua Hippler, a 30-year-old former employee of an unnamed hospital in East Texas.

The indictment, which was filed on March 26 in the U.S. district court in Tyler, Texas, but was sealed until July 3, charges Hippler with wrongful disclosure of individual identifiable health information, with the intent to sell, transfer and use for personal gain. The alleged criminal HIPAA violations began about Dec. 1, 2012, continuing through about Jan. 14, 2013, court documents says.

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