The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is in settlement negotiations with a woman who alleges the hospital shared confidential patient information with Facebook.
In April, lawyers for Eileen Yeisley, filed suit against UIHC in federal court for the alleged “intentional, reckless, and/or negligent disclosure” of confidential medical information to the social-media giant Facebook.
The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status to represent a broad array of patients, alleges that UIHC manages or controls two websites that it encourages individuals to use for booking medical appointments, locating physicians and treatment facilities, communicating medical symptoms, procuring information on medical conditions and treatment options, and signing up for events and classes.
According to the lawsuit, UIHC installed on those websites two sets of computer code that tracks the online activity of people as they interact with those particular websites. Information about that activity is allegedly shared with Facebook and linked to that individuals’ personal Facebook account.
Facebook, in turn, has allegedly sold that information to third-party marketers who can then target the individuals’ Facebook pages with ads tailored to their medical issues.
The lawsuit claims UIHC installed the computer coding — copies of which are included in the plaintiffs’ petition — for marketing purposes in an effort to bolster its profits.
In response to the allegations, University of Iowa Health Care released a written statement that said: “University of Iowa Health Care is committed to protecting patient privacy. We do not share protected health information of our patients with Meta or Facebook.”
On Oct. 18, a judge granted UIHC’s motion to dismiss the case but specifically allowed for the filing of an amended complaint within 14 days. Yeisley’s lawyers then obtained an extension on that deadline, allowing for the filing of a new complaint on or before Nov. 15.
“The parties have engaged in limited settlement discussions and want the opportunity to explore settlement options further before the expiration of the plaintiff’s deadline,” Yeisley’s lawyers told the court.