Two Texas Nurses Indicted After Complaining About Hospital Physician

Two Texas nurses who filed a complaint about a physician's standard of practice were indicted on charges of the misuse of official information, according to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The nurses, who worked for the Winkler County hospital in Kermit, Texas, filed the complaint with the Texas Medical Board against the physician in Spring 2009 and anonymously sent 10 patients' medical records that did not name the patients but included medical record numbers, according to the report.

The Winker County sheriff's department investigated the complaint after the physician complained of harassment. The department said that the nurses "circumvented hospital policy for reporting bad medical practices, didn't seek patients' permission when they anonymously sent medical records of 10 patients to the board and didn't act in good faith." The sheriff contacted the patients and said none wanted to complain about the care they received.

The Texas Nurses Association has objected to the prosecution of the nurses, noting that the prosecution of the nurses will stop other whistle-blowers from coming forward for fear of losing their jobs, according to the report. The medical board also objects, saying that because the complaints are confidential and not subject to subpoena, the board is not subject to federal privacy laws.

Read the Star-Telegram's report about the two Texas nurses indicted on misuse of official information.