Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing a federal civil rights investigation after turning the medical records of transgender patients over to Tennessee’s attorney general, hospital officials have confirmed.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing a federal civil rights investigation after turning the medical records of transgender patients over to Tennessee’s attorney general, hospital officials have confirmed.
This does not sound like a HIPAA violation to me. Records were released to the AG for a fraud investigation; whether or not this investigation is a sham or not I can’t tell, but legally that sounds within the scope of release. It’s only released to the AG and only for the purpose of whatever investigation. That’s likely why this isn’t being tried as a HIPAA violation and instead they’re suing.
Again I’m not saying the initial accusation of fraud is just, but it seems perfectly normal to release medical treatment records to investigate a case of claims fraud.
Patients’ personal info was not redacted, the article says. That’s HIPAA territory.
Not if it’s for legal purposes and shared with only those who need to know.
You are correct that this is protected health information (PHI). It is not, however, a violation of HIPAA.