by Patrick Romero
Health care employers be warned – an unintentional data breach could now cost you much more than you imagined. A New York State Appellate Court has recently upheld a $365,000 jury award against a health care center that mistakenly disclosed information regarding a patient’s medical information.
A young, unmarried woman who lived with her strict Roman Catholic parents decided to terminate her pregnancy at Long Island Surgi-Center. She gave instructions to Surgi-Center never to call her at home despite providing them with her home telephone number on questionnaire forms. A day after the procedure, a nurse called the number provided to inquire about her condition and to confirm that she had no subsequent medical complications. Unfortunately, the nurse spoke with the woman’s mother and revealed sufficient information to allow the mother to conclude that her daughter had an abortion.
In a 3-2 decision, the Court held that the plaintiff be awarded punitive damages for an unintentional breach of confidential medical information even if there was no malice or malicious behavior by the defendant. As a result, the 2nd Department of New York has expanded the scope of punitive damages to include unintentional medical disclosure regardless of whether the act was done in good-faith.
The case is significant due to the implications for organizations handling medical information. Even though the medical center’s actions were not malicious, intentional or done in bad faith, disclosing the plaintiff’s medical information was grossly negligent and wanton behavior. Based on this interpretation, it appears that it will now be more difficult for healthcare workers to justify disclosure of medical information on mistakes or negligence.
The Court also appeared to have affirmed the jury’s award for punitive damages in order to send a message about the importance of protecting medical information. Punitive damages are seen as a way for the judiciary to espouse a particular public policy and to deter future violations. The Court here is clearly concerned with instances of wrongful medical disclosure and shows itself to be in sync with state and federal legislative efforts to protect confidential information. The opinion does not discuss violations of federal privacy laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). However, it does mention New York legislation pertaining to the rights of patients in medical facilities like the one visited by the plaintiff.
More and more states are enacting laws regulating the disclosure of private and confidential information. Court cases like this highlight the need for companies to enact strong compliance rules that clearly describe the conditions in which data can be disclosed. These rules need to be properly followed and understood by all employees of an organization. The decision in New York should highlight the fact that even inadvertent medical disclosure can now lead to serious liabilities issues.