[Med-privacy] ruling in HIPAA suit
pmarshall
pwm@comcast.net
Thu, 08 Apr 2004 10:16:31 -0700
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<span class="textblack14">Federal Judge Upholds HIPAA Provision</span><br>
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April 05, 2004<br>
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<td colspan="2" class="textblack12"> A federal judge on Friday ruled
that a new HIPAA provision enacted last April didn't violate patients' constitutional
rights to privacy and due process, the <a
href="http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/8343965.htm?1c"
target="_blank"><cite>Philadelphia Inquirer</cite></a> reports. Philadelphia
U.S. District Judge Mary McLaughlin also ruled that HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson
was not legally responsible to "act affirmatively to protect those rights"
(Slobodzian, <cite>Philadelphia Inquirer</cite>, 4/3). <br>
<br>
The plaintiffs sued HHS and alleged that the department "sabotaged" a privacy
provision that required a patient's written consent whenever confidential
medical data was released, the <cite>Associated Press</cite> reports (Caruso,
<cite>Associated Press</cite>, 4/2).<br>
<br>
"What she is essentially saying is that it's OK under the Constitution for
an individual's right of privacy to be determined by someone other than the
individual," James Pyles, a lawyer who filed the suit on behalf of <a
href="http://www.citizens.org/" target="_blank">Citizens for Health</a> and
17 other individuals and groups, said of McLaughlin's ruling.<br>
<br>
However, defense attorneys said that Pyles and the plaintiffs "overstated"
the provision's threat to personal privacy, the <cite>Inquirer</cite> reports
(<cite>Philadelphia Inquirer</cite>, 4/3). Government lawyers also said that
the provision is intended to give patients "unprecedented power to ensure
that their records are distributed to as small a circle of caregivers as possible"
(<cite>Associated Press</cite>, 4/2).<br>
<br>
Pyles said he will meet with his clients to discuss challenging the ruling
before the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (<cite>Philadelphia Inquirer</cite>,
4/3).<br>
<br>
In related news, <a
href="http://www.healthcareitnews.com/NewsArticleView.aspx?ContentID=467"
target="_blank"><cite>Healthcare IT News</cite></a> this week looked at the
Justice Department's recent attempt to obtain patients' medical records to
gather information about late-term abortions. While court rulings deemed the
department's efforts an invasion of privacy, the article raises the question
of whether it would have been easier for the government to access patient
information if the records had been electronic (Monegain, <cite>Healthcare
IT News</cite>, 4/5). <img
src="http://www.ihealthbeat.org/images/spacer.gif" border="0" width="1"
height="7">
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