The Minnesota Supreme Court said Oct. 11 that hospitals can use patient data for fundraising purposes under the Minnesota Health Records Act.
The court ruled in favor of Minneapolis-based Children's Hospital and Clinics, stating that the Minnesota Health Records Act permits disclosures of a patient's health records without the patient's consent when the disclosure is authorized in federal regulations, according to a court filing obtained by Becker's.
The ruling comes after Kelly and Evarist Schneider, whose child was a patient at Children's Hospital and Clinics, sued the hospital after its charity, Children's Health Care Foundation, had disclosed certain health information about their child to the foundation for fundraising purposes.
The parents claimed that consent was not given to the hospital to disclose their child's protected health information and said the hospital violated the Minnesota Health Records Act.
The decision from the Minnesota Supreme Court affirms the ruling from the Minnesota Court of Appeals.