Viral Photo of Staff Flipping Off Newborn Exposes Hospital to Tort Liability

Kristin Michaels said that hospital employee social media posts showing negative acts toward patients could spur invasion of privacy or intentional infliction of emotional distress lawsuits against the hospital. Ms. Michaels urged all health care providers to have a policy defining appropriate social media use in the workplace, making clear that patient privacy and confidentiality must be maintained and that social media cannot be used to harass patients or employees.