In The News

This week, we are incredibly proud of our dedicated team, led by Todd Petersen, in our ongoing fight to protect the rights of patients in Ohio. At Petersen & Petersen, we believe in upholding every patient’s right to access their electronic protected health information (ePHI), as guaranteed under the HIPAA regulations.   Via a list of federal rules and regulations, our government promotes patients’ rights to access, view, download, and transmit their electronic health records securely and easily.  By empowering patients with timely access to inspect their health information, our government’s mission is to support greater patient engagement and improved healthcare outcomes.

In a significant wrongful death medical negligence case, a Cuyahoga County trial court recently granted the Estate of a deceased patient the right to conduct a virtual inspection of the patient’s electronic medical records. This inspection, conducted over Zoom with an electronic medical records expert, was safeguarded by specific terms and conditions to ensure compliance and security.

However, University Hospitals Health System, Inc., along with its subsidiary medical entities and group of physicians, appealed this trial order to prevent the inspection from proceeding. This week, Petersen & Petersen stood up for the rights of patients across Ohio, arguing that under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, patients have the right to inspect their PHI through court-ordered virtual inspections. We firmly believe that the refusal of the Defendant-Appellee to allow such an inspection is a violation of the federal rules and regulations regarding the Privacy Rule.

We remain committed to advocating for patient rights and ensuring transparency in healthcare. Stay tuned for more updates on this critical case.