Health Information Management

Policeman confused by HIPAA destroys evidence

HIPAA Weekly Advisor, June 21, 2004

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Policeman confused by HIPAA destroys evidence</STRONG></P>

A Greenville, SC police officer flushed a bag suspected to be marijuana down the toilet under the assumption that the privacy rule required his actions, the Associated Press (AP) reported June 17.

An emergency medical technician (EMT) found the suspicious substance on a car accident victim and handed it over to the officer who was working off-duty at a Greenville hospital, according to the AP.

The officer was under the impression that he could not give the substance to Highway Patrol without violating the patient's privacy rights. He did not know the identity of the patient or the details of how the EMT found it, nor that the evidence was a part of an ongoing investigation, the AP said.



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