Texas takes on HIPAA: state Attorney General declares Public Information Act more compelling than a federal law
Quill, The, September, 2004 by Ryan Heath
On Feb. 13, 2004, Attorney General Greg Abbott issued a ruling that made HIPAA regulations easier to understand and follow--at least in Texas.
HIPAA came to Abbott's attention through a case involving the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. The Lubbock Police Department refused to disclose the conditions of accident or crime victims. Randy Sanders, editor of the Avalanche Journal and vice president of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said the practice become so bad that "if someone died from a shooting, they wouldn't be able to say that they were investigating a murder."
Of course, since police departments are not covered under HIPAA, the closure was unwarranted.
Abbott ruled that the Texas Public Information Act would be the most important...
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