Question

A local politician had extensive cosmetic dental work and plastic surgery performed in the clinic where you work. You tell a family member who works with the local politician. The local politician (patient) learns of this and believes her privacy has been breached.

What are the legal and ethical ramifications?

Answer 1

The legal ramifications of this case is that Local politician as patient can bring lawsuit against the clinic as well as me as employee in the clicnic for violating the law of patient confidentiality and breach of privacy of patient.

The clicnic will be held responsible for wrong ful act of mine as employee of the clinic under respondeat superior law. In this, Politician can bring case under violation of federal law Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996(HIPPA). This law is implemented or enforced to protect the sensitive information of patients from being disclosed without consent or knowledge of patient.

The employee disclosed the private and confidential nformation of local politician about cosmetic dental work and plastic surgery to outside parties leading to breach of confidentiality and privacy.This can lead to huge legal fines as well as damage to reputation of clinic while provide court provide compensation to the local politician.

This disclosure could also lead to legal issues like defamation which could ruin image of politician in society.

The ethical ramification is about right of politician as human and what is right or wrong. As human, every person has right to thie privacy and consent. They are allowed to give consent to information to people who they authorize and expect right to privacy and security of thier information.

The employee disclosing information have done unethical act against the politician as well as towards thier job. Their job is to be reasonable and make sure information of thier patient is private. This was wrong on ethical grounds as it violated human right to privacy.