Two large Louisiana health care networks have been hit with class-action lawsuits contending that their websites covertly shared private patient data in violation of state law.
The New Orleans law firm Herman, Herman & Katz filed the lawsuits against LCMC Health Systems and Willis-Knighton Health System in state courts this month. The complaints allege that the health care networks’ websites used a tracking code called Meta Pixel, which can analyze, gather and share private health data belonging to hundreds of thousands of people, according to the law firm.
The sharing of such information was done without the patients’ knowledge in violation of Louisiana law, which generally bars the sharing of such sensitive information with third parties, the law firm said.
LCMC Health doesn’t accept the allegations.
“LCMC Health is deeply committed to patient privacy and takes any implication that data has been shared inappropriately with the utmost urgency,” the company said in a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record. “We are aware of the pending lawsuit and intend to defend LCMC Health vigorously against the plaintiffs’ claims.”
In one incident, a website visitor who clicked on a “Schedule an appointment” button later received targeted social media ads about ailments and conditions she provided to a hospital website, the law firm said.
“We are learning more and more about this shocking breach of trust as our investigation continues,” Herman, Herman & Katz partner Stephen Herman said in a prepared statement. “This was a gross invasion of privacy that we believe went on for years.”
Other litigation that has challenged Facebook parent Meta’s use of its pixel computer code has focused on possible violations of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA rules require that regulated entities such as health care networks are not allowed to use tracking technologies in a way that would lead to impermissible disclosures of personal health information to tracking technology vendors, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.