February 01, 2006

Two ob/gyn patients at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J. complained that they'd been contacted by the large plaintiff's law firm of Blume Goldfaden, Berkowitz, Donnelly, Fried and Forte, which seemed to be awfully familiar with their medical records. Did the law firm violate the women's rights under HIPAA, the federal health privacy statute, when it obtained the records? That's what the hospital and women have alleged in thus-far-unsuccessful litigation, on appeal at last report. New Jersey Law Journal, Health Care Law Blog and Holland & Hart Blog all covered the controversy in October. Per the NJLJ, "Blume Goldfaden contends that JFK's suit was filed to divert attention from the hospital's misreading of more than 100 Pap smears and to intimidate and harass the firm because it represents plaintiffs in suits against JFK."