Hospital worker fired for Facebook video that revealed patient information

An Iowa hospital worker who posted a Facebook video showing off her Harry Potter-themed office was fired after it was discovered the photo revealed protected patient information.

State records indicate Alicia Keffer worked for the Lucas County Health Center as a full-time clinic referral clerk from March 2025 until her firing in August 2026.

As a referral clerk, Keffer was responsible for processing and scheduling patient referrals. According to the findings of the administrative law judge who presided over Keffer’s recent hearing on unemployment benefits, Keffer decorated her office with Harry Potter collectibles and memorabilia in July 2026.

On July 30, 2026, she allegedly recorded a short video of her decorated office space, and then posted the video to a local bakery’s Facebook page, intending only to show off her Harry Potter merchandise. Unbeknownst to Keffer, her computer screen was visible in the video and displayed protected health information for “several patients,” the judge found.

The same day the video was posted, another hospital employee saw the video on the bakery’s Facebook page and alerted their superiors. The hospital allegedly contacted Keffer and the bakery and both agreed to take down the video.

On Aug. 7, 2026, the hospital fired Keffer for violating its privacy policies. Prior to her dismissal, she had never received any warnings or discipline for her conduct in the workplace.

Administrative Law Judge Patrick Thomas recently ruled Keffer was entitled to unemployment benefits, noting that in order for her to be disqualified based on carelessness, there must be wrongful intent.

While Keffer’s conduct violated the hospital’s policy, Thomas ruled, the “weight of the evidence indicates that (her) decision to post the video was an isolated instance of poor judgement, arising from inadvertence and ordinary negligence.”

As the disclosure of protected information was the result of a mistake, and Keffer had never previously been disciplined for similar conduct, the hospital had not met its burden of proving disqualifying, job-related misconduct, Thomas ruled.

Other Iowa healthcare professionals recently fired or sanctioned for alleged patient-privacy violations include:

— Kimberly Hettinger, a registered nurse who has practiced in Manchester and been an Iowa-licensed nurse since August 1987. The Iowa Board of Nursing recently charged Hettinger with violating the confidentiality or privacy rights of a patient or client. The board alleges that at some undisclosed time in the past, Hettinger “accessed family member medical records outside the scope of her employment duties.” The board has not disclosed where Hettinger worked at the time.

In a recent settlement agreement with the board, Hettinger agreed to accept a warning and complete 30 hours of educational training on patient confidentiality.

— Kelcey Bohlke, who worked as a full-time registered nurse for Family Health Care of Siouxland from July 2024 until her firing in July 2026. According to the findings of the judge who presided over her recent hearing for unemployment benefits, Bohlke received a message from her daughter’s new school on July 7, 2026, informing her the school needed her daughter’s immunization records to complete her enrollment. Bohlke then pulled up her daughter’s medical records on the computer and printed a copy, prompting a colleague to remind her she should have obtained prior approval to access patient files.

Bohlke was unable to locate her supervisor to report the incident but acknowledged her actions later that day when asked about the situation. She was fired and later was awarded unemployment benefits by Administrative Law Judge Patrick Thomas, who characterized her actions as a momentary lapse of judgment rather than a willful or wanton disregard of the employer’s interests.

— Amber Peterson, who worked as a dental assistant and surgical technician for Mississippi Valley Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery from August 1999 until June 2026 when she resigned. According to the findings of the judge who presided over her recent hearing for unemployment benefits, Peterson was questioned by her superiors on June 2, 2026, about using her phone to take a photo of a patient’s X-rays. She allegedly admitted doing so, stating the patient was her boyfriend and she had sent him the photo via text message.

The clinic proposed a three-day suspension and additional training on patient-privacy provisions of the federal Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, but Peterson opted to resign, according to state records. She was then denied unemployment benefits, with Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Adkisson ruling her resignation was “not based on good cause but rather was because she was upset after being notified she was being disciplined for violating patient privacy.”

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Keffer, Peterson and Hettinger for comment. Bohlke declined to comment on her case.