New York hospital reaches $2.2M settlement over TV filming

ALBANY, N.Y. – Federal authorities have reached a $2.2 million settlement with a New York City hospital over filming by a television documentary crew that disclosed two patients’ health information without their authorization.

The Department of Health and Human Services says New York-Presbyterian Hospital let the ABC crew for “NY Med” film one patient who was dying and another in significant distress.

Under the settlement agreement, the department’s Office of Civil Rights will monitor the hospital for two years.

Office Director Jocelyn Samuels says the case sends the message that they won’t allow medical facilities to compromise patient privacy by allowing TV crews to film patients without authorization.

The hospital says its goal was to educate the public about important health issues and the filming didn’t violate the federal patient privacy rule.