BOSTON (AP) - Three Boston hospitals accused of compromising the privacy of patients’ health information by allowing television crews to film at their facilities have settled their cases with federal authorities.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights said Thursday it had reached separate settlements with Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center, which collectively paid nearly $1 million to settle potential privacy law violations.
ABC filmed a documentary series at the hospitals.
The civil rights office says the hospitals didn’t get authorization from patients first.
Hospital representatives told The Boston Globe they did obtain patients’ consent and they didn’t concede to violating privacy laws, but they wanted to resolve their cases without formal proceedings or further expense.
Massachusetts General Hospital paid the most, $515,000.
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