Veteran Affairs employee is banned from accessing patient records after tweeting pre-op notes for 72-year-old vet's penile implant surgery A D.C. VA Medical Center employee, believed to be Carrie Christian, is under investigation after she allegedly tweeted a photo of a patient's pre-op notes In the now-deleted tweet, Christian wrote '72y/o male gets government-funded surgery' and included the eggplant emoji The VA has banned Christian from accessing patient records and is investigating the incident which could be considered a HIPAA law violation It is unclear at this time if Christian will be terminated over the alleged offense By Natasha Anderson For Mailonline Published: 13:21 BST, 17 September 2021 | Updated: 14:17 BST, 17 September 2021 7 Viewcomments A Veteran Affairs hospital employee has been banned from accessing patient records after being accused of tweeting a patient's preoperative notes ahead of surgery. In a now-deleted tweet, Carrie Christian, formerly Twitter user @CarrieeeeC, allegedly shared a photo of a patient's preoperative anesthesia note for a penile implant surgery. A '72[-year-old] male gets government-funded surgery,' Christian tweeted Monday along with an eggplant emoji. Without specifically naming Christian, Veterans Affairs press secretary Terrence Hayes confirmed to the Washington Post on Thursday that the tweet was sent by an administrative officer in the D.C. VA Medical Center's anesthesia department who has since been banned from accessing patient records. He also confirmed that the department has launched an investigation into the incident. 'VA is aware of the incident and takes it very [seriously],' Hayes said. 'An investigation is underway and the employee has been removed from all access to Veteran medical records for the foreseeable future.' Veterans Affairs press secretary Terrence Hayes confirmed that the employee responsible for the above tweet has since been banned from accessing patient records. He also confirmed that the department has launched an investigation into the incident Carrie Christian (pictured) is accused of tweeting a patient's preoperative notes ahead of surgery. The D.C. VA Medical Center employee allegedly shared a photo of a patient's preoperative anesthesia note for a penile implant surgery According to Hayes, the photo included in the tweet was of records 'for a Veteran who had surgery last week'. Although the photo did not include the patient's name, personal medical information such as the veteran's heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and mental status were listed. However, before her Twitter account was deleted, Christian did make a post claiming that the medical record she shared was something she found on the internet and not actual VA patient records. MailOnline has contacted Christian requesting comment. Patient records and personal health information are protected and considered private under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In a VA pamphlet on privacy obtained by the newspaper, the department claims that employees are trained annually on HIPAA and required to comply with its rules. 'Our employees know they must exercise care not to disclose information inadvertently,' the pamphlet reportedly reads. It is unclear at this time if Christian will be fired for the alleged potential HIPAA violation. According to the HIPAA Journal, all violations of HIPAA are considered a 'serious matter' and warrant an investigation. However, some violation are more severe than others. Depending on the nature of the incident and the organization's policies, termination could be a possible outcome for violating HIPAA laws. WHAT IS HIPAA? According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law created national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. The goal of HIPAA is to ensure that a person's health information is protected while also allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public’s health and well-being. What information is protected under HIPAA? Information your doctors, nurses, and other health care providers put in your medical record Conversations your doctor has about your care or treatment with nurses and others Information about you in your health insurer’s computer system Billing information about you at your clinic Most other health information about you held by those who must follow these laws Who is required to follow HIPAA laws? Health Plans Most Health Care Providers Health Care Clearinghouses Contractors, subcontractors, and other outside persons and companies that have access to your medical information such as: companies that help your doctors get paid for providing health care, companies that help administer health plans, companies that destroy medical records, and outside lawyers, accountants, and IT specialists Advertisement Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility