Wisconsin medical board reprimands psychiatrist Victoria Fetter for disclosing patient information

May 20, 2009

The Wisconsin Medical Board reprimanded psychiatrist Victoria Fetter for unprofessional conduct, in that she divulged privileged communications and information entrusted by a patient.  The Board’s document states that Fetter had been dumping her paper trash into the receptacles in the public restroom of the building where her office is located.  This paper trash included confidential information about patients, including originals of confidential health records of initial assessments, mental health diagnoses, treatment sessions and other information relating to her treatment of named patients, all of which was visible to anyone who happened to use the public restroom. Another therapist in the same building reported this to the state Department of Regulation and Licensing after one of his patients reported seeing such data in the trash.  In 2000 the Board reprimanded Fetter for breaching a patient’s confidentiality by disclosing privileged communications to others without the patient’s consent.  In addition to the current reprimand, she is required to pay $2,188 for the costs of the proceeding against her.

(Final Decision and Order in the Matter of the Disciplinary Proceedings Against Victoria Fetter, M.D., LS 0808291 MED, Case Nos. 06 MED 406 and 07 MED 406, May 20, 2009.)