As the ongoing HIPAA violations stemming from a 2017 impermissible disclosure enter their fifth year, multi-agency review of records, one-party conversations, and court documents reveal newly discovered evidence that Allan Braaten, of High Country Behavioral Health, according to Cheryl Shero was in addition to the previously identified Gottsche Medical Director, also responsible for illegally and unethically disseminating private medical records to Cheryl Shero. The impermissible disclosure was in her bid, as she stated, authorized by the William H. and Carrie Gottsche Foundation Board to use what by law were required to be closed confidential records to retaliate against the 2017 HIPAA victim stemming from non-compliance by Gottsche and other Hot Springs agencies.
Wyoming is what's known as a "one-party" state, which allows for any participant of a multi-party conversation to record and disseminate those recordings without the consent or knowledge of the other parties. Throughout 2017 and 2018, Cheryl Shero in her official capacity as Gottsche Physical Therapy CEO, made multiple admissions that she was both soliciting and receiving private medical information of a HIPAA victim to retaliate for the mandated reporting of unethical and illegal behavioral issues in her "toxic" Thermopolis Physical Therapy clinic.
Further recent review of the evidence by a third party compliance agency based outside of Wyoming revealed previously overlooked information that in addition to local Hot Springs County legal authorities, Allan Braaten was also enlisted to help Cheryl Shero retaliate against the mandated reporters. Letters and phone calls to Allan Braaten were ignored and it was recently revealed via a recorded call with the High Country Behavioral Health Thermopolis branch where Allan, in addition to his undefined role with Gottsche, was employed as Clinic Director, retired earlier this month. Jared Bingham, Allan Braaten's mos recent employer, indicated that he will not seek any form of investigation against Allan Braaten and recommended legal action against Braaten individually in lieu of involving High Country Behavioral Health.
Braaten makes the third known associate of Cheryl Shero to be identified as party to the 2017 HIPAA violation, which previously included by Cheryl Shero's own admissions, Dr. W. Travis Bomengen, and a former Hot Springs County Judge. The only official statements made by Cheryl Shero on behalf of the organization she runs denies any HIPAA viilation despite proof from the OCR, were those she made unaware she was being recorded. In those conversations, Cheryl Shero indicated that other's involvement in the ongoing retaliation against the HIPAA victims was demanded of her by her board upon receiving threats that she would otherwise be terminated. Third party agencies who have reviewed the over eighteen hours of recordings have determined the statements to be accurate based on additional recorded proof and court documents, submitted by Gottsche themselves indicating that Gottsche board member Gene Boehmke was present during the conversation and indicated in his own words that he was there on behalf of the board.