A health-care worker at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance has been sentenced to serve 16 months in prison for stealing the identity of a cancer patient, and subsequently running up credit card bills in his name.
Richard W. Gibson, 42, a technician at the hospital has also been ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution for the credit-card charges as well as costs incurred by the patient, Eric Drew. The prosecution was the first in the US under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Eric Drew was being treated for leukemia at the hospital when Gibson, stole his identity from information he obtained while working as a technician collecting body fluid samples for laboratory testing.
Richard W. Gibson, 42, a technician at the hospital has also been ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution for the credit-card charges as well as costs incurred by the patient, Eric Drew. The prosecution was the first in the US under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Eric Drew was being treated for leukemia at the hospital when Gibson, stole his identity from information he obtained while working as a technician collecting body fluid samples for laboratory testing.
