News Briefs: May 9, 2022

◆ A law firm in Evansville, Indiana, is considering pursuing claims involving a physician who spoke with women at a bar and then allegedly accessed their medical records, the Evansville Courier & Press reported.[1] At least six women have received an apology letter from Deaconess Health System stating that a physician went into their medical records without a valid reason, Taylor Ivy, an attorney with Ladendorf Law, told the newspaper. The physician “would walk up to them, start talking to them, get their names, things like that,” Ivy was quoted as saying. “Then it seems he went to work, trying to get their medical records. One of the women [said] he showed up at her workplace in a suit, with a note that had been written for her.” One of the apology letters, dated Feb. 23, was shared on Facebook by Ladendorf Law with the recipient’s name blacked out. The letter states that the recipient’s records were accessed on eight dates from June 2020 to December 2021 “without business need,” and “we sincerely apologize for this event,” which the health system said was uncovered during a “routine audit” in January. The records accessed included both personal and medical history information. The letter, which was signed by Amanda McCarthy, a privacy officer for Deaconess Health System, included an offer for one year of complimentary use of an online identity theft product. It also stated that the Deaconess employee in question was fired following completion of the audit.

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