A Mental Health psychiatrist's office Accidently Sent me Someone else's medical files.?

A Mental Health psychiatrist's office Accidently Sent me Someone else's medical files.?It was the initial patient evaluationon, where they told the doctor their confidential information. I, of course, don't have any intentions of doing anything bad with this information. But, should I tell the patient? There are ways to find out how to contact them just by looking at the form. Would we be able to sue the doctors office for doing this and get any money? I don't even think I will if I can, I'm just wondering what can happen right now.

Thanks for mature replies from attorneys or law students.

Answer by Libraryanna
What are your damages? You have no basis for a suit.

The other person can file a HIPPA complaint, link below. What you should do is return it to the doctor and make sure the doctor knows his staff screwed up.

Don't contact the patient, it could be very humiliating. It could cause him problems with trust for his doctor when it's quite possible the doctor didn't do anything. You would also have to explain why you read his records when you knew they weren't yours. He could wind up suing you for invasion of privacy.

If your records were sent to someone else, you could file a HIPPA complaint. But you would have to show harm. If it has information like your social security number, you need to contact your bank and the credit reporting companies for a fraud alert.

Answer by bcnu
Turn it over to the state licensing board for psychiatrists. They will know what to do.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments! Access information and advice on a wide range of mental health issues including conditions and disorders including stress and depression, therapy

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