Warren Richey reports:
The US Supreme Court on Monday turned aside an appeal involving the scope of privacy protections for a patient’s medical records when a state agency seeks to force a doctor to disclose those records without first obtaining a patient’s consent.
At issue was a Maryland law that empowers an oversight board to demand that a physician immediately turn over requested medical files or face fines and other disciplinary action.
Read more on Alaska Dispatch.
The case was Eist v. Maryland State Board of Physicians (10-1425). I had written to Dr. Eist years ago commending him for what I think is the correct ethical decision he made in trying to protect his patients. It’s unfortunate that the board and state legislature do not see it this way.