Be Vigilant—Sexual Misconduct Claims Are Bad for All Concerned

Where staff and patients of the opposite sex or same-sex orientation are together in private, there is a risk for perceived or actual inappropriate advances, or worse. An urgent care operator in Georgia is grappling with such a situation at this very moment, as a medical assistant was arrested and charged with improper sexual contact by an employee or agent in the first degree. A patient alleged that the MA made “unwanted sexual contact with her” while she was on site for a medical visit. While it’s impossible to know what the outcome will be, suffice to say that there will be no winners. This case is a reminder, however, that every healthcare facility has to do what it can to ensure the safety of everyone who walks through the door. JUCM has published a couple of articles that could be helpful in assessing whether your patients, your team, and your business are protected sufficiently. You can read Does Your Urgent Care Need a Chaperone Policy? and Should an Urgent Care Operator Check the National Sex Offender Registry When Hiring Employees? in our archive right now.