Edmonton pharmacist suspended for wrongfully accessing patient files

An Edmonton pharmacist received a suspension after it was discovered she accessed patient health information without authorization.

According to a hearing tribunal for the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP), pharmacist Hanna Yoo accessed a person’s provincial health records without authorization eight times over a 15-month period.

“The person was not a patient of Yoo and did not have a personal relationship with her,” the ACP wrote in a news release.

The ACP says Yoo misused her authority as a health information custodian and pharmacist. While there was no information to suggest Yoo disclosed the health information of the person, the hearing tribunal found Yoo’s conduct was unprofessional and warranted sanctions.

“Repeatedly accessing an individual’s Netcare records without an authorized purpose is a serious breach of the standards to which pharmacists are rightly held,” the hearing tribunal concluded. “Understandably, Ms. Yoo’s conduct had a significant negative impact on (the individual), when (the individual) learned of it.

“Satisfying one’s curiosity or indulging in a “clicking” habit is no excuse for a pharmacist to access an individual’s Netcare records.”

The first month of the suspension will end Aug. 31, and two other months will be held in abeyance and be subject to the successful completion of an ethics course — at Yoo’s own cost.

In addition to the suspension, Yoo received a reprimand and an order that she must disclose the written decision to any pharmacy employer in the next two years. She must also pay $8,000 toward the costs of the investigation and hearing.