Hancock Regional Hospital Sued for Alleged HIPPAA Violation

Greenfield, Indiana – Plaintiffs Sherry Childers and Diana Polston, along with others, have filed a class-action lawsuit against Hancock Regional Hospital (Hancock Health) in Greenfield, Indiana. They accuse the hospital of disclosing their private medical information to third parties like Facebook and Google. The Plaintiffs argue that mishandling medical data can lead to severe consequences such as workplace discrimination and denial of insurance coverage. They stress the importance of maintaining medical information confidentiality to uphold public trust in the healthcare system.

The complaint cites the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which includes the “Privacy Rule” established by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This rule outlines guidelines for safeguarding individually identifiable health information and prohibits healthcare providers from sharing such data with third parties without explicit written consent from the individual.

Court documents claim that Hancock Health, a trusted healthcare provider, used a “Tracking Pixel” on its website to collect and transmit the Plaintiffs’ sensitive patient information to third parties without their knowledge. This alleged action is seen as a breach of the HIPAA Privacy Rule.

The Plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to stop Hancock Health from these alleged wrongful practices and compel them to make complete and accurate disclosures. They are also requesting monetary compensation, the recovery of any proceeds from the sale of their personal information, and three years of credit monitoring services.

The case has been assigned to Judge Tanya Walton Pratt and Magistrate Judge Tim A. Baker, in the U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana, and assigned Case No. 1:23-cv-01471-TWP-TAB.

Complaint