ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter's report late Wednesday evening that New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was forced to undergo a procedure to have his right index finger amputated as a result of the fireworks accident which occurred over the Fourth of July weekend was eye-opening not just because of its content, but also because Schefter chose to publish an image of Pierre-Paul's medical charts as part of the report.
There was immediate question as to the wisdom of publishing the records and a potential lawsuit on Pierre-Paul's behalf against whoever leaked said personal records was characterized as "likely." A new report on Thursday suggests that a lawsuit against Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Pierre-Paul was treated, is more than likely; it's expected.
"Pierre-Paul is expected to file a lawsuit against Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami for leaking his medical chart to ESPN, the source said. The network posted Pierre-Paul's medical chart on the Internet. The release of such information without the patient's approval is a violation of federal law," Jason Cole of Bleacher Report writes.
ESPN has since defended Schefter's report in the wake of the backlash, noting that the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA, "does not apply to news organizations."
Federal law, however, does.
The hospital, for their part, is taking the matter of the alleged leak very seriously.
"Late Wednesday, media reports surfaced purportedly showing a Jackson Memorial Hospital patient's protected health information, suggesting it was leaked by an employee. An aggressive internal investigation looking into these allegations is underway," Carlos A. Migoya, the president and CEO of Jackson Health System said in a statement, via WPTZ.com. "If these allegations prove to be true, I know the entire Jackson family will share my anguish.
"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."
Per WPTZ, a spokesperson for the hospital declined to comment.
