how serious is a Hipaa violation?

I'm sorry to hear this happened to your wife. You can report a HIPAA violation here:  https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/smartscreen/main.jsf However, there is no right to sue for damages for HIPAA violations.  You might be able to file a suit under a violation of privacy type of theory but it is often difficult to prove any resulting damages. There are practical considerations as well.  Does your wife have an ongoing physician patient relationship with this doctor and if so, do you want to risk harm to the releationship?  Also, I think you can expect the doctor to say that if your wife did not want these things to be discussed in front of your friend, she should have asked him to leave the room.  However, it sounds like your wife may not have had an opportunity to stop him before the cat was out of the bag. As always, the answers I'm giving here are based solely on the limited information I have so it would be best to have a formal consultation with someone specializing in this area of the law. Chris Hoffman Hoffman, Sheffield, Sauseda & Hoffman, PLLC 303-333-2200 www.hsshlaw.com