Nurse Fired for Disclosing Pregnancy Status of Teenage Patient to a Family Member
An Iowa nurse was dismissed from work for a HIPAA violation. She also lost her unemployment benefits because of disclosing the pregnancy condition of a 17-year-old patient to a loved one without getting the patient’s permission. Erica Hulsing has been working as a registered nurse since September 2016 at Waverly Health Center in Waverly, Iowa. She received a call on April 17, 2025 from a family member of the patient wanting to know about the patient’s stay at the hospital.
The patient explicitly requested that her pregnancy be kept secret; even so, Hulsing told the relative that the patient is pregnant. After the disclosure, the patient and loved ones submitted a complaint to the hospital, which launched an internal investigation. The hospital discovered that Hulsing had shared highly sensitive information regarding a patient to a person who was not approved to know that data, as the individual was not stated on her permission form. The hospital confirmed the disclosure of protected health information (PHI) to unauthorized persons. The disclosure likewise violated hospital rules on professional conduct, which results in end of contract for gross misconduct.
Under HIPAA, patients have the right to request the restricted disclosure of their health information, which includes disclosures of their health data to relatives. While individuals under 18 years of age are regarded as minors, if a 17-year-old agrees to medical treatment under state regulation, the Privacy Rule normally permits the minor to follow their own privacy rights.
Hulsing mentioned that she did not know that telling the patient’s pregnancy status to a member of the family violated the HIPAA Laws. Hulsing claimed unemployment benefits while her case was being reviewed, and she got paid $4,214 in benefits; nevertheless, Administrative Law Judge Duane Golden decided that Hulsing was not entitled to receive unemployment benefits since her actions constituted work-related misconduct, and Hulsing was instructed to pay back the $4,214 she got.
Disclosing patient details to any unauthorized individual can have serious implications for the healthcare provider and the patient. This case shows that a lack of understanding of HIPAA requirements is not a valid reason to excuse a HIPAA violation. In this situation, the patient’s request to keep her status private should have been respected, and the disclosure is done only with the patient’s consent.
Healthcare providers need to make sure that they know about the requirements of HIPAA, and should ensure that they are updated with state and federal regulations. Healthcare providers should make sure that they offer detailed HIPAA training to all workers to ensure they understand their duties under HIPAA, and should support training through refresher training sessions every year to help avoid HIPAA violations at work.