reproductive health

In ‘Holy Redeemer’ Settlement Agreement, OCR Continues to Prioritize Privacy Protections for Reproductive Health Information

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In ‘Holy Redeemer’ Settlement Agreement, OCR Continues to Prioritize Privacy Protections for Reproductive Health Information

by Felicity Slater and Kate Black

On November 26, 2024, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a resolution agreement and corrective plan with Pennsylvania’s Holy Redeemer Hospital (Holy Redeemer). The agreement settles OCR’s claim that Holy Redeemer disclosed a patient’s protected health information (PHI)—including intimate reproductive health details—without a permissible purpose or valid authorization from the patient in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. 

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A Last-Minute Push for a Reproductive Health Privacy Law in Michigan

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A Last-Minute Push for a Reproductive Health Privacy Law in Michigan

By Mike Hintze and Felicity Slater 

On November 7, 2024, the Michigan legislature introduced Senate Bill 1082 / House Bill 6077, the Reproductive Data Privacy Act (the “RDPA” or the “act”). The act was introduced in the aftermath of the 2024 election cycle as Michigan Democrats brace to lose control of the House in 2025. At a hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services, lawmakers backing the RDPA expressed a hope to pass the act before the year’s end. 

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