HCF’s patient detail disclosures condemned
Posted
by DPS
The New South Wales Health Minister, John Hatzistergos, has said he is concerned the insurer HCF might be breaking privacy laws by giving the private details of its members to a third-party health care company.
Minister Hatzistergos said HCF had been providing details about patients’ sex, age, broad mental health and number of recent admissions to McKesson Asia Pacific, which then tried to sell further health care services to the patients once they had left hospital.
Mr Hatzistergos said the practice raised serious ethical issues about the role of health insurers.
