Shocking video captured a trio of cold-hearted dental office employees in Tennessee reading a cancer patient’s private diary aloud — and mocking her concerns about her treatment options.
The heartbreaking footage was apparently filmed by another staff member at Premier Dental Group of Knoxville who callously giggled throughout the disrespectful act, which took place in the middle of the practice’s office.
“Found a patient’s journal and now it’s story time lmfao,” the employee wrote in the video caption.
A woman in black scrubs can be seen leaning against a desk as she flips through and reads aloud passages describing the radiation treatments the cancer patient faces.
The camera then pans to another bully sitting cross-legged on the office floor and leaning in intently as she hears about the patient’s concern that there are “not any other treatment options.”
A male employee was also in the room, but seemingly chose to scroll on his phone rather than intervene, the video shows.
The chilling footage spread across social media like wildfire, sparking outrage from people who condemned the action as a major privacy violation.
Premier Dental Group of Knoxville shared an apology Monday, acknowledging that an “inappropriate video created and shared by some of our employees that addressed an individual’s medical condition in a disrespectful and unprofessional manner.”
“We deeply regret this incident and the hurt has caused,” the practice wrote in a since-deleted statement on Facebook.
A spokesperson for PDG confirmed to The Post that the female employees involved in the incident were fired “effective immediately.” After an investigation, it was determined that the male employee did not participate and kept his job.
“We are committed to maintaining a respectful and professional environment for everyone, and we will continue to take necessary actions to uphold these standards,” the practice said.
The troubling episode is not PDG of Knoxville’s first brush with drama.
The practice settled a lawsuit last year after prosecutors accused it of scamming TennCare and possibly putting patients in danger, according to KVUE.
The lawsuit alleged that the provider used unqualified dental hygienists, upcoded procedures that weren’t actually needed or performed, and treated patients like “cattle” to try to maximize profits.
Premier Dental Group of Knoxville agreed to pay around $1 million to settle the lawsuit.
