Gossip is everywhere. A group of researchers decided to investigate just how much gossip is a part of people’s daily lives, and who may be more prone to doing it. The recent study found that, among other things, the average person spends approximately 52 minutes a day gossiping — and most of it is pretty mundane.[1]

From the water cooler to the parking lot. Just last fall I was waiting with my teenage daughter in a medical office seating area and overheard not gossip about patients, but the front office staff complain about “someone’s birthday cake.” It might sound trivial but gossip impacts staff morale, patient expectations and more. Let’s be honest, at one time or another we’ve all listened to it and maybe even participated in it at our workplaces. In a medical office environment however, it has privacy concern which brings up the topic of HIPAA protections as well.

Here is a helpful and hopefully educational article by the HIPAA Journal (Note: The HIPAA Journal is the leading provider of news, updates, and independent advice for HIPAA compliance)

Is Gossip a HIPAA Violation? (Author/Credit: HIPAA Journal )

• Gossip can be a HIPAA violation – potentially resulting in a sanction for the gossiper – depending on who is gossiping, who they are gossiping about, and what the content of the gossip is. It is important to know under what circumstances gossip is a HIPAA violation because, when a violation occurs, there could be significant consequences for everyone. (READ MORE AT HIPAA JOURNAL)

Other helpful articles about medical office gossip we found also include:

• Etactics; Gossip HIPAA Violations: When, Where, How and Why; By Maria Clark; September 3, 2020; 
• Robbins, M. L., & Karan, A. (2020). Who Gossips and How in Everyday Life? Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(2), 185-195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619837000
• Don’t let staff gossip undermine your clinic — October 18, 2016 (HealtheCareers; Everyday Health, Inc)
• Battling Office Gossip; July 15, 2010; Wendy J. Meyeroff; Physicians Practice(R)
• Eliminating staff gossip at your practice; January 12, 2021; Audrey Mclaughlin, RN Logan Lutton; Physicians Practice(R)
• Gossip and emotion in nursing and health-care organizations; J Health Organ Manag. 2005;19(4-5):378-94. doi: 10.1108/14777260510615404.
• WORKPLACE GOSSIP IN URGENT CARE: THE IMPACT OF TOXIC TALK; Journal of Urgent Care Medicine; June 1, 2012; 

Citation

1. Robbins, M. L., & Karan, A. (2020). Who Gossips and How in Everyday Life? Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(2), 185-195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619837000

###

© 2024 Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. (“CMT”) All rights reserved.

Disclaimers: All content presented here is for general information purposes only. It is NOT intended to provide medical, legal, professional, accounting or financial advice. No warranties or guarantees are assumed and user(s) release Concierge Medicine Today, LLC and its agents, representatives and guests from all damages, liability and/or claims. While some of our speakers may be licensed Physicians, they are not your Physician. Please consult your Physician related to anything you may have read or heard or have questions about or call 911. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and/or opinions of Concierge Medicine Today, LLC. The “Concierge Medicine Today, LLC” name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. Additional disclaimers, releases terms and conditions apply to this content, https://conciergemedicinetoday.org/tcpp/.