Patient’s Estate Gets Access to NJ Hospital’s Electronic Records

A New Jersey hospital must allow an expert witness to examine a deceased patient’s medical records for purposes of gathering metadata, a state appeals court said.

Hackensack University Medical Center didn’t show that the inspection requested by the estate of Richard Lasiw would be unduly burdensome or likely to open it up to a data breach or other “calamities,” the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, said. The court granted the estate’s motion to compel the inspection.

The estate sued Hackensack and various medical providers for medical malpractice that allegedly occurred during Lasiw’s hospitalization. During discovery, the estate asked that ...