Hospitals and health systems around the country have been accused of sharing confidential patient information with social media giants such as Meta, Facebook and Google. Here are the 18 hospitals and health systems facing lawsuits for alleging sharing healthcare data for marketing purposes:
Editor's note: This article was updated on April 26 and will be continously updated.
April 26:
- A lawsuit filed against University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics alleges that the health system installed pixel tracking technology on its websites that shared patient data with Facebook.
- A lawsuit claims that Greensburg, Pa.-based Excela Health improperly disclosed patients' protected health information to Facebook and Google after it allegedly used tracking technology on its web portal.
- A lawsuit alleges that State College, Pa.-based Mount Nittany Health used pixels on its website that sent some patients' protected health information to Facebook and Google.
- A lawsuit filed April 3 alleges that Dallas-based Steward Health Care System's website used a Meta pixel tracking tool that sent some patient information to Meta and Google.
March 29:
- Orlando Health is being sued by a patient for allegedly using pixel tracking technology on its website that led to some patient information being sent to Facebook.
- Louisville, Ky.-based UofL Health is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit over its use of the Meta Pixel consumer-tracking tool. The suit alleges that UofL Health's website unlawfully transmitted private health data to Facebook parent company Meta Platforms.
- New Orleans-based LCMC Health and Shreveport, La.-based Willis-Knighton Health System are being sued for allegedly using a tracking code in their websites that shares sensitive patient data without patients' knowledge or consent.
- Cincinnati-based Christ Hospital is being sued for allegedly sending patient information to Meta and other third parties using pixel codes on their website.
Feb. 10:
- Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai is being sued over claims it transmitted patient data to Big Tech companies such as Meta, Google and Microsoft.
- Chicago-based Rush University System for Health is being sued in federal court for allegedly sending patient information to tech companies.
- Pittsburgh-based UPMC entered into arbitration over a lawsuit claiming the health system shared patient data with Facebook.
- University of Chicago Medical Center is being sued in federal court for allegedly sharing patient information with Facebook through the use of "pixel" tracking technology.
- A patient has filed a lawsuit against Advocate Aurora Health, dually headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill., and Milwaukee, and Facebook parent company Meta over their use of "pixel" technology that may have ensnared protected health information.
- Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed is facing a patient-led lawsuit for installing a pixel tracking tool from Facebook on its website and patient portal that allegedly led to patient data being sent to the social media company.
- Chicago-based Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Meta, Facebook and Instagram were named in a lawsuit filed Aug. 10 accusing the hospital of sharing sensitive patient health data with the social media companies.
- UCSF Medical Center and Dignity Health in San Francisco were named in a class-action lawsuit filed July 25 claiming that patients' private medical data was used to target them with Facebook ads.