If this story is true, one hospital needs to undertake some serious retraining of its security staff.

Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland, is being sued after a series of “misunderstandings” regarding one patient.

According to court documents, Joseph Wheeler, 46, was brought by ambulance to Prince George’s after a car accident on June 23. He was treated for blunt torso trauma but no other acute injuries.

The next morning, Wheeler awoke to a nurse informing him that he was going to be prepped for surgery to remove a potentially cancerous mass from his chest. Soon after, Wheeler noticed his hospital-issued ID bracelet indicated he was a 33-year-old woman.

No longer feeling secure with his treatment at the hospital, Wheeler and his wife gathered his belongings and started to leave. According to the complaint Wheeler filed, two security guards detained him, called him a “bitch” repeatedly, shoved him into a wall and then took him into an elevator where they beat him while he was on the floor in a fetal position.

Eventually, Wheeler spoke to a hospital administrator who had him sign a release that he was leaving against medical advice.

Wheeler went to nearby St. Mary’s Hospital, where he was treated for four broken ribs, a sprained shoulder, a ruptured spleen and a concussion.

The Wheelers have filed suit for $3.2 million in compensatory damages and $9.5 million in punitive damages. So far, the hospital hasn’t commented publicly on the case.

It’ll be several more weeks before she can text as usual again — but so far, she said she’s been using the “hunt and peck” method to text. (Perhaps it would be better to start using the iPhone to call clients?)

It’s worth reminding patients: If any repetitive motion like texting starts to cause pain — or numbness, tingling or inflammation — it’s time to take a rest from it.

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Two packages of radioactive material, intended for a hospital administrative officer, were left at the front desk for 44 hours last May, after being accepted by the hospital concierge. They weren’t discovered until the recipient realized the expected delivery date and come and gone.

Hospital officials say radiation levels were 2 millirems an hour — higher than acceptable levels. The average American is exposed to 620 millirems each year. It’s unclear right now how many people were exposed to the radiation — and for how long. To date, there are no reports of illnesses or other adverse effects.

The County of San Bernardino (California) Department of Aging and Adult Services has issued a warning that scammers are posing as government officials and contacting senior citizens in the area by phone, e-mail, and even in person. They ask if the person has health insurance. If the answer is no, they threaten to send them to jail for allegedly not adhering to federal health policies. Then they offer to sell the victim “Obamacare insurance” which will supposedly keep them out of jail.

It shouldn’t need stating, but: There is no Obamacare insurance, these seniors aren’t going to be hauled off to jail and the scam is a blatant misreading of the provisions of the recent health care reforms. For the record, in 2014, citizens will be required to have health care coverage — but there will be access to public programs for those who don’t have private insurance. And those who still don’t procure coverage only face graduated fines, not jail time.

While this scam appears to be limited to San Bernardino, so far, it’s worth keeping an eye out for similar frauds in other parts of the country. It’s also a reminder to all health professionals that there are still a lot of people who don’t understand how health care reform actually effects them — and there are plenty of people spreading misinformation.

If you suspect someone has been a victim of these particular con artists, authorities encourage you to call law enforcement or San Bernardino Adult Protective Services at 877-565-2020.

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A 60-year-old woman, Elaine Harnsberger, was admitted to the hospital on March 31 with “serious medical problems” — and had racked up bills in excess of $350k by July 27. On Aug. 9th, Carilion’s attorney Robert Manetta filed suit, and specifically requested in a letter to the court that “the Sheriff serve Mrs. Harnsberger at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.”

Harnsberger was served, in her bed at Carilion.

One day after the Roanoake Times questioned hospital officials about the case, they filed a motion to have the suit dismissed.

Harnsberger declined reporters’ interview requests, and Carilion wouldn’t say if Harnsberger had insurance and/or the financial means to pay the bill.

Had the suit gone forward, Harnsberger would’ve had 21 days to respond — from her hospital bed, and with limited access to legal assistance. Presumably, she is currently in no condition to go over the bill for potential errors or inaccuracies. If Harnsberger didn’t respond in the allotted time, Carilion likely would’ve been allowed to go after her existing assets and wages.

Seems like Iowa hospitals are facing an epidemic of nosiness — and HIPAA violations.

The Des Moines Register documented a slew of workers who’ve been fired in the past month for unauthorized access of medical records and related offenses. They include:

• A patient orders coordinator at Mahaska County Hospital was fired for allegedly accessing the records of her boyfriend’s ex-wife, as well as a hospital volunteer.
• Another patient orders coordinator at Mahaska viewed various emergency and obstetrics patients’ records, including those of the birth mother of her adopted child, her ex-husband, her current husband and several other family members.
• A worker (title not given) at Keokuk Area Hospital was accused of sharing a patient’s medical information via public Facebook messages with another hospital worker. The patient was not identified by name, but enough details were included that s/he could be identified.
• A worker (title not given) at Mercy Hospital Medical Center was fired after looking at a particular patient’s medical records out of personal curiosity. Several workers had been previously warned against accessing the patient’s records. The patient was a child born at the hospital in February.
• A phlebotomy clerk at University of Iowa Hospitals was fired after telling several other co-workers medical details of a patient who plays on one of the University’s sports teams. Information she shared included his name, the team he played for, his underlying medical condition and how often he had blood drawn.

Depressing, isn’t it?

On the bright side, both Mahaska employees were fired after other staffers reported the incidents, and co-worker reports seem to play a part in some of the other reported instances. So training on the importance of adhering to HIPAA and keeping patient records confidential is working — sort of.

The technician is believed to be a possible source of transmission of Hepatitis C among three transplant patients.

The hospital released few details on exactly how the disease was transmitted and the drugs were diverted, but did say it is working with state health officials to investigate the incident and notify affected patients.