It's been a while since we've been able to provide valuable updates. Due to privacy laws, and the sheer amount of records related to Gottsche Therapy and Wellness and Hot Springs Health's mounting violations, access to relevant documents, per the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) can take months, sometimes even years. We are still committed to working towards providing transparency and better practices when it comes to keeping patient privacy and safety a top priority in Hot Springs County. Below, we recap important events from 2022 that could affect you and your family's healthcare and privacy.
Cheers to working towards a more ethical and transparent 2023! Hospital names new CEO; Legacy of victim bullying and disregard for laws continues
Margie Molitor officially retired as CEO of Hot Springs Health this year. Margie was the first official from Hot Springs Health (then Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital) informed, during a recorded calls and meetings, of the HIPAA violation where Dr. W. Travis Bomengen and Cheryl Shero intentionally leaked the Private Health Information (PHI) of a former patient and business associate. Despite recordings, legal without consent in the State of Wyoming, proving that Margie claimed she would not further disclose any further information to Gottsche CEO, Cheryl Shero, additional recordings of Gene Boehmke (Boardmember), Cheryl Shero, and their Business Administrator, revealed that Margie Molitor informed Cheryl Shero of the allegations so that, as put by Chero, her and Bomengen could create a story to fit the evidence. For years Molitor dodged phone calls, ignored Certified Letters, and refused access to medical records, illegally and unethically instructing hospital staff to do the same, only to leave her position without ever having to answer to the unethcial practices taking place under her leadership.
Unfortunately, the pattern of willful ignorance and disregard for patient safety and procedures, outlined in their own patient manual, would be carried forward by new CEO, Scott Alwin. Calls and letters to Scott for comment on what Hot Springs Health implemented following the official citation by the Federal Offices of Civil Rights to address the breach of medical records have also gone unanswered. To this date, Hot Springs Health carries on it's fifth, soon to be sixth year of refusing to provide transparency into why the breach happened in the first place, and what was been done, if anything, to prevent it in the future. As we enter into 2023, without access yet to the FOIa records, it is still unknown how many patients, prior and present of Hot Springs Health, have been victims of medical record breaches due to the hospital's inability to safeguard records.
New Cheif Operating Officer, Danirk Hemann, Sparks Concerns for Medical Record Privacy Shorlty after Scott Alwin was named new CEO, previous Directory of Pharmacy, Daniel Hemann, husband of Erin Hemann Erin Dyok, Physical Therapist at Gottsche) was appointed to COO. This is not the first time that a personal relationship between Gottsche Therapy and Wellness and Hot Springs Health associates has had the potential to negatively impact patients' rights and privacy. Although the FOIA requests are still pending, documentation and records provided by the HIPAA victim, court records, and other resources revealed that Cheryl Shero did not act alone when impermissibly spreading the PHI of the victim. Rather, as corroborated also in recordings provided by the victim, did so to prevent legal action against Gottsche for the well documented accusations of workplace harassment by Erin Hemann. While final disciplinary outcomes are not made public, offical records indicate that Erin Hemann amassed more than five complaints against her license since beginning her career at Gottsche in 2016. Concerns regarding this appointment and information seeking how the hospital plans to safeguard medical records from such appointments where officials have access, have gone ignored. While we can only hope that the hospital has taken the risks into consideration, previous willful ignorance of their own mesasure(s) meant to protect patients' privacy, and their clear pattern of allowing personal and financial gains to influence their business decisions, it would appear that the hospital continues to act in regards not conducive to ensuring public health and safety. Employee Relations at Gottsche, as can be heard in the excised recordings of Cheryl Shero made public, have been a long standing issue, reigniting concerns that Gottsche employees, like Hemann, who have what Shero described as "toxic personal issues" with various Hot Springs County residents as well as former Gottsche employees still working andresiding the county, may further be subjected to the access of the records without their consent.
In the event that your records are accessed without your consent it is unlikely you will be notified. Now more than ever it is important to request regular accountings of disclosure, and copies of your records to ensure that your PHI does not fall into the wrong hands. As always, we here at Hot Springs Health Reform are more than happy to help you navigate HIPAA and provide guidance on how to safeguard your medical history.