When a Name Reveals Too Much
A court case about a patient’s roommate ended up teaching me more about privacy than I expected. The case was Rogers v. NYU Hospitals Center. A hospital released the name of a patient’s roommate and someone questioned whether this violated HIPAA. The name came up during a legal proceeding and the patient argued it should have been protected. The court disagreed, noting that the name alone did not reveal any medical diagnosis or treatment. A wide range of rehabilitative services were offered at Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, so knowing someone was there didn’t tell you anything about their condition. A name by itself wasn’t protected health information in this situation. ...