A site visit by an expert pays off, a Computer Forensic Expert Finds the Smoking Gun in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) audit trail!
Kim Johnson noticed a lump on her right breast and because her mother died of breast cancer she feared the worst. In January 2015, she went to Fleming County Hospital in Flemingsburg, Kentucky, to get a mammogram. When she received a letter from the hospital that proved she had “no evidence of cancer”, this Kentucky mother of eight breathed a huge sigh of relief. Several months had passed and the lump continued to grow so she decided to get a second opinion. She was horrified to learn she has stage 4 cancer.
Sadly, Fleming County Hospital had sent the wrong letter, giving Johnson the all-clear instead of directing her to return for a follow-up examination. In September 2016, Johnson filed a lawsuit against the hospital claiming doctors misdiagnosed her, and that two employees deleted evidence of the letter saying she didn’t have cancer. How did she know this?
She hired a digital forensic expert!
Ms. Johnson and her lawyer’s hired a digital forensic expert skilled in examining EMR audit trails. During a court-ordered on-site visit, they found employee EMR entries that edited the history and deleted the evidence of the erroneous letter claiming that she was cancer-free.
In the wake of the misdiagnosis by the hospital, Ms. Johnson is left with a long battle with cancer. If her cancer would have been recognized at an earlier stage her quality of life would have been different as a result. She trusted the system and it failed her.
Who protects the patient? The HIPPA law ensures accountability
Required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), hospitals and healthcare providers are to maintain an audit trail of all access, entry, and modification of the patient’s EMR to ensure accountability. Hiring a computer forensics expert that has experience with examining Health Information Systems (HIS) and the related EMR audit trails that can make or break your case. Call Enigma Forensics staff today if you think you may have a case requiring similar assistance. 312-668-0333.
