October 19, 2023
On October 11, the Minnesota Supreme Court published its opinion in a case that pits the Minnesota Health Records Act (MHRA) against the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Minnesota is one of only a handful of states that has a state health records law that offers more protections to patients than HIPAA. This has caused headaches for healthcare providers and facilities when they try to comply with both laws.
Parents of a patient at Children’s Hospital Minnesota sued the hospital for releasing their child’s health records to the Children’s Foundation, without their consent. The parents argued that the MHRA only allows for the release of health records on two occasions: 1) with the proper written consent of the patient or their representative, and 2) with specific authorization in law. The parents claim that because the MHRA generally provides more protections of health records, the specific authorization in law must come from a state law and that a federal law, such as HIPAA, cannot provide authorization.
The district court, appellate court, and now the Minnesota Supreme Court, have all sided with Children’s Hospital, finding that the specific authorization in law could come from a federal law such as HIPAA.
HIPAA allows for the use or disclosure of protected health information for “treatment, payment, or healthcare operations.” This exception is broad and includes fundraising activities, which is the exception that Children’s Hospital and other Minnesota facilities rely upon.
The decision made by the Minnesota Supreme Court is a win for facilities and healthcare providers because it will allow them to conduct their business activities without additional burdens, but while continuing to protect patients’ protected health information.
October 23, 2025
The MMA, along with the University of Minnesota Medical School, will hold a virtual physician forum on November 5 at noon on “Health Professions Education and Minnesota's Rural Health Workforce.”
October 23, 2025
AMA staff have confirmed that, as of October 21, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has guided Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to lift their temporary holds on Medicare fee-for-service claims impacted by provisions that expired on October 1 – including all Medicare fee-for-service claims in Minnesota.
October 23, 2025
For the second time in eight weeks, national grief expert David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, visited Minneapolis. The first trip was days after the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting when he met with school leaders to help with the healing process. He returned October 21 to revisit the school and to meet with local healthcare providers at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to offer tips on dealing with the aftermath of crisis.