Government
HIPAA lawsuit dismissed
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 19, 2004
A lawsuit seeking to overturn federal privacy standards that went into effect last year as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act has been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Mary McLaughlin of Philadelphia. The plaintiffs, a group called Citizens for Health in Washington, D.C., alleged that the government overstepped the bounds of the original law when the rule was changed to make informed consent for sharing of medical records voluntary rather than mandatory.
The judge ruled that the Dept. of Health and Human Services did not violate federal rule-making requirements with these changes. "The court's decision supports our authority to protect the privacy of patient health information in a way that does not impede access to quality health care," said HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson. Citizens for Health's attorney, Jim Pyles, said the group has not yet decided whether to pursue an appeal.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/04/19/gvbf0419.htm.
