Dylan's Story: Name and Personal Health Information Released for Research Study Without His Permission

Health Stories

Dylan received a phone call at work (by name) that offered him a free cholesterol screening as part of a research study by Astrazenica. He was told that they received his name from a patient list at his health insurance company. Concerned about his name being given for a study without his permission, he contacted his health insurance company. He eventually received a response stating that the company was compliant with State and Federal privacy legislation and the research company obtained a HIPAA Authorization Waiver from an Independent Review Board/Privacy Board in order to complete the study. This meant that the release of Dylan's personal information didn't require his approval.

 

Dylan's name has been changed to protect his privacy.