Days after Jason Pierre-Paul made headlines for injuring his hand in a July 4 fireworks accident, leaked medical records left his team and fans dumbfounded.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter obtained and shared the Giants defensive end’s medical records on Twitter, and it revealed that he'd had his right finger amputated.
This of course leaves many questions about the player’s future in football, but it also raises another big concern: How were the medical records leaked?
Some believe it’s a health care professional from Florida’s Jackson Memorial Hospital, which is illegal under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). The 1996 law “protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information.”
Carlos A. Migoya, the president and CEO of Jackson Health System, announced that an investigation is underway to see if in fact an employee did break the law.
"If these allegations prove to be true, I know the entire Jackson family will share my anguish,” Migoya said. "If we confirm Jackson employees or physicians violated a patient's legal right to privacy, they will be held accountable, up to and including possible termination."
On the other hand, the news media can’t be penalized under HIPAA unless the company obtains the documents in an unlawful way (like pretending to be a healthcare provider).
Yet, some still feel Schefter shouldn’t have posted Pierre-Paul's records for all to see.
“I'm not trying to pick on @AdamSchefter, I think he typically does truly outstanding work. But that picture really rubbed me the wrong way,” one user wrote on Twitter.
Another wrote: “Wrong move by ESPN and @AdamSchefter to expose Pierre-Paul like that. Medical records should be kept private.”
Do you agree with them? Let us know in the comments below.
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