Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has turned over gender clinic patients’ medical records to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, which confirmed on Tuesday it is investigating the hospital for potential medical billing fraud.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office confirmed on Tuesday that it was investigating the embattled medical center that recently ceased providing cross sex hormones to and performing sex-change surgeries on minors in compliance with a new Tennessee law set to take effect on July 1.
“VUMC received requests from the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General as part of its investigation seeking information about transgender care at VUMC,” John Howser, a spokesman for VUMC, told The Tennessean in a statement. “The Tennessee Attorney General has legal authority in an investigation to require that VUMC provide complete copies of patient medical records that are relevant to its investigation. VUMC was obligated to comply and did so.”
Generally, Tennessee law mandates that medical records be kept confidential, but because Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is conducting an investigation into the medical center’s practices, he has the legal authority to pursue the records, according to Paul Hales, an attorney who specializes in health privacy.
VUMC informed families of their turning over medical records to the state, prompting concern among families over their children’s privacy. Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, a far-Left LGBTQ interest group whose Twitter slogan is “Taking on Tennessee’s Slate of Hate,” said several parents of trans-identifying children called him in a panic since they received the notification from VUMC on Monday.
“They’re terrified,” he said. “They don’t know what’s next, they don’t know how this will be used or whether they will be targeted in some way. They feel like their privacy has been violated.” Sanders went on to say that many are upset at VUMC for “not fight[ing] harder” against the state.
Despite the fear Sanders reports, VUMC clearly informs patients that the center may share their information with law enforcement and “other officials … as authorized or required by law” or for “lawsuits and disputes.”
Tennessee AG Chief of Staff Brandon Smith told The Tennessean that the investigation is purely about Vanderbilt’s billing practices and not about the patients themselves, saying the AG’s office was “surprised that VUMC has deliberately chosen to frighten its patients like this.”
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“The Office does not publicize fraud investigations to preserve the integrity of the investigative process. The Office maintains patient records in the strictest confidence, as required by law,” Smith added. “The investigation is focused solely on VUMC and certain related providers, not patients, as VUMC is well aware.”
The investigation into VUMC comes after a heated legislative session earlier this year when Tennessee Republicans moved to prevent sex change procedures and hormones from being prescribed to minors, legislation prompted by The Daily Wire’s investigation into VUMC’s gender clinic.