The woman said she worked at the hospital for years before a coworker accessed her medical records
PLAINSBORO - A security breach at a Plainsboro hospital resulted in one employee's medical records and HIV-positive status being leaked to her coworkers, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
The woman, a housekeeping aide with the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, claims she was hired there in 1988, according to a lawsuit she filed in the Superior Court of Mercer County this month.
She had no issues with the hospital or with the Princeton Healthcare System (PHS) as a whole until two years ago, when the woman claims a coworker gained access to her medical records.
She said in the lawsuit that she was hospitalized at PHS in May of 2013, which was when the hospital created medical records for her, listing her HIV-positive status.
In April of 2014 - nearly a year after she was hospitalized - the employee said PHS sent her a letter, telling her that an unnamed coworker had accessed her medical records, according to the suit.
PHS had gotten a tip about the security breach two months before they informed the employee, according to the lawsuit.
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The healthcare system said in the letter that they were taking "appropriate action," against the coworker who accessed the woman's medical records.
But the damage was already done.
The employee said in the lawsuit that, after her records were accessed by one employee, the rest of her coworkers learned about her HIV status.
"The plaintiff has seen and heard co-workers gossiping about her and her HIV status, and has been treated with hostility from her co-workers and superiors...inclusive of nitpicking and being forced to perform duties outside of her job description," the suit said.
The lawsuit does not say how the other coworkers learned about the status.
In the suit, the employee blames the hospital and PHS for their negligence that allowed another employee to get through security and access her medical records.
A representative from the Princeton Healthcare System said in a statement Wednesday that they take their patient's medical records seriously and always investigate if they suspect a confidentiality breach.
"Every employee receives education on patient confidentiality during orientation, as well as annual education on this matter. We also conduct regular audits of medical records to determine if there has been unauthorized access," the statement said.
If they determine a breach has occurred, then they take disciplinary action, which could include firing the employee involved, the statement said.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.