Joel Stashenko reports:
A felony charge was filed Wednesday against an attorney who is accused of bribing hospital employees for confidential medical information that he allegedly used to solicit clients in a no-fault insurance scam.
New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo said the charge against William R. Hamel, an attorney at Dinkes & Schwitzer in Manhattan, and seven hospital employees expanded his investigation of the filing of hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent medical claims and bodily injury lawsuits on behalf of people involved in minor auto accidents.
[…]
The seven hospital workers, who were employed at either the Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center or Jacobi Hospital, were charged with receiving a bribe in the third degree, a Class D felony, and the misdemeanor charge of official misconduct.
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This is the second news story in as many days that alleges that lawyers are involved with healthcare employees who breach patient privacy. Neither story indicates why the employees were not charged with HIPAA violations as well as other crimes.