Three Iowa healthcare providers have been denied unemployment benefits after being fired for allegedly violating patient privacy laws.The first of the three cases involves Julie Meinders, who worked as a scheduler for Mason City’s MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center from February 2024 through October 2025 when she was fired.The company alleged that on Sept. 19, 2025, Meinders used her login credentials to call up the medical records of a co-worker and then accessed her colleague’s “patient sidebar report” to view the individual’s upcoming appointments.MercyOne alleged Meinders had no work-related reason for accessing her colleague’s medical record. State records indicate that when confronted by her superiors about the situation, Meinders denied, at least six times, ever accessing the medical records.Administrative Law Judge Elizabeth Johnson ruled recently that Meinders had committed workplace misconduct and denied her unemployment benefits.“The weight of the evidence does not support Ms. Meinders’ assertion that her coworker asked her if she had an appointment coming up soon,” Johnson wrote in her decision. “The administrative law judge did not believe this explanation for the access.”The second of the three cases involves another former employee of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, Jami Weaver, who worked for the hospital in both nutrition services and in security from April 2023 through February 2026.On Feb. 9, 2026, Weaver was working for security when she allegedly used a MercyOne cellphone to shoot video of a patient and her coworkers without their permission. State records indicate the alleged incident came to the employer’s attention on Feb. 11, 2026, when another security officer found the recording on the phone. MercyOne alleged that when Weaver was questioned by her superiors, she acknowledged shooting the video and admitted she knew it violated the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects patients’ privacy.An administrative law judge recently ruled Weaver is not entitled to unemployment benefits due to workplace misconduct.The third patient-privacy case involves Erin Parker, who worked as a mental health therapist for Open Hearts Therapy of West Des Moines from July 2024 through December 2025 when she was fired for repeatedly using her personal phone to access health records and her email account.According to Open Hearts Therapy, Parker was first given a warning about the potential HIPAA violation in May 2025. After a second incident in October 2025, Parker was allegedly asked by her employer to review and reflect on the requirements of HIPAA. In November 2025, Open Hearts Therapy allegedly noticed someone had twice logged into Parker’s work email account using an Android device rather than a company-issued iPhone. According to state records, Parker confirmed that she was still accessing her work email account using her personal phone.The company later alleged that a more comprehensive review of email activity logs uncovered repeated instances, over a period of months, of Parker using her personal phone to access work email. Parker was then placed on a performance improvement plan, according to the company.According to Open Heart Therapy, the company learned in December 2025 that Parker had repeatedly used her personal phone to access not just her email account but also the company’s electronic health record system where therapy notes are stored.Parker was fired and subsequently applied for unemployment benefits. Administrative Law Judge Brooke Axiotis recently denied Parker benefits, ruling she had committed workplace misconduct. Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.
Three Iowa healthcare providers have been denied unemployment benefits after being fired for allegedly violating patient privacy laws.
The first of the three cases involves Julie Meinders, who worked as a scheduler for Mason City’s MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center from February 2024 through October 2025 when she was fired.
The company alleged that on Sept. 19, 2025, Meinders used her login credentials to call up the medical records of a co-worker and then accessed her colleague’s “patient sidebar report” to view the individual’s upcoming appointments.
MercyOne alleged Meinders had no work-related reason for accessing her colleague’s medical record. State records indicate that when confronted by her superiors about the situation, Meinders denied, at least six times, ever accessing the medical records.
Administrative Law Judge Elizabeth Johnson ruled recently that Meinders had committed workplace misconduct and denied her unemployment benefits.
“The weight of the evidence does not support Ms. Meinders’ assertion that her coworker asked her if she had an appointment coming up soon,” Johnson wrote in her decision. “The administrative law judge did not believe this explanation for the access.”
The second of the three cases involves another former employee of MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, Jami Weaver, who worked for the hospital in both nutrition services and in security from April 2023 through February 2026.
On Feb. 9, 2026, Weaver was working for security when she allegedly used a MercyOne cellphone to shoot video of a patient and her coworkers without their permission. State records indicate the alleged incident came to the employer’s attention on Feb. 11, 2026, when another security officer found the recording on the phone. MercyOne alleged that when Weaver was questioned by her superiors, she acknowledged shooting the video and admitted she knew it violated the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects patients’ privacy.
An administrative law judge recently ruled Weaver is not entitled to unemployment benefits due to workplace misconduct.
The third patient-privacy case involves Erin Parker, who worked as a mental health therapist for Open Hearts Therapy of West Des Moines from July 2024 through December 2025 when she was fired for repeatedly using her personal phone to access health records and her email account.
According to Open Hearts Therapy, Parker was first given a warning about the potential HIPAA violation in May 2025. After a second incident in October 2025, Parker was allegedly asked by her employer to review and reflect on the requirements of HIPAA. In November 2025, Open Hearts Therapy allegedly noticed someone had twice logged into Parker’s work email account using an Android device rather than a company-issued iPhone. According to state records, Parker confirmed that she was still accessing her work email account using her personal phone.
The company later alleged that a more comprehensive review of email activity logs uncovered repeated instances, over a period of months, of Parker using her personal phone to access work email. Parker was then placed on a performance improvement plan, according to the company.
According to Open Heart Therapy, the company learned in December 2025 that Parker had repeatedly used her personal phone to access not just her email account but also the company’s electronic health record system where therapy notes are stored.
Parker was fired and subsequently applied for unemployment benefits. Administrative Law Judge Brooke Axiotis recently denied Parker benefits, ruling she had committed workplace misconduct.
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.