Former Mayo Clinic doctor accused of invading patient privacy
FORMER MAYO CLINIC DOCTOR ACCUSED OF INVADING PATIENT PRIVACY
Charged with inappropriately accessing medical records.
Posted: Jun 24, 2021 1:52 PM
Updated: Jun 24, 2021 2:17 PM
Posted By: Mike Bunge
ROCHESTER, Minn. - A criminal charge has been filed against a former surgeon at Mayo Clinic.
Ahmad Maher Abdel-Munim Alsughayer, 28 of Saginaw, Michigan, has been charged in Olmsted County District Court with unauthorized computer access, a gross misdemeanor.
In December 2020, the Rochester Police Department says it was notified of a possible invasion of privacy at Mayo Clinic. A former patient told investigators her medical records had been inappropriately accessed by a hospital employee. The victim said she got a letter from Mayo stating her medical records had been looked at in May 2020 "without a business need." The letter also stated images of the victim taken in February, March, and May 2020 were among the information wrongly accessed.
The victim told investigators she asked for her medical records and became upset because it appeared as though nude images of her had been viewed.
Rochester police say they identified the hospital employee who accessed the medical records as Alsughayer. Court records also state Mayo Clinic sent a report to police saying Alsughayer had accessed protected patient information in a way unnecessary for his job as a doctor.
A criminal complaint was filed against Alsughayer in April. His initial court appearance is set for June.
In addition to this criminal charge, Alsughayer has been named as a co-defendant in two civil lawsuits against Mayo Clinic. A breast cancer patient and two dermatology patients accuse Alsughayer of unauthorized access of their medical records, including nude images, and that Mayo Clinic could have prevented that access but failed to do so. A trial for a lawsuit filed in October 2020 is scheduled to start on August 22. No trial date has been set for the lawsuit, which was filed in May.
Charged with inappropriately accessing medical records.
Posted: Jun 24, 2021 1:52 PM
Updated: Jun 24, 2021 2:17 PM
Posted By: Mike Bunge
ROCHESTER, Minn. - A criminal charge has been filed against a former surgeon at Mayo Clinic.
Ahmad Maher Abdel-Munim Alsughayer, 28 of Saginaw, Michigan, has been charged in Olmsted County District Court with unauthorized computer access, a gross misdemeanor.
In December 2020, the Rochester Police Department says it was notified of a possible invasion of privacy at Mayo Clinic. A former patient told investigators her medical records had been inappropriately accessed by a hospital employee. The victim said she got a letter from Mayo stating her medical records had been looked at in May 2020 "without a business need." The letter also stated images of the victim taken in February, March, and May 2020 were among the information wrongly accessed.
The victim told investigators she asked for her medical records and became upset because it appeared as though nude images of her had been viewed.
Rochester police say they identified the hospital employee who accessed the medical records as Alsughayer. Court records also state Mayo Clinic sent a report to police saying Alsughayer had accessed protected patient information in a way unnecessary for his job as a doctor.
A criminal complaint was filed against Alsughayer in April. His initial court appearance is set for June.
In addition to this criminal charge, Alsughayer has been named as a co-defendant in two civil lawsuits against Mayo Clinic. A breast cancer patient and two dermatology patients accuse Alsughayer of unauthorized access of their medical records, including nude images, and that Mayo Clinic could have prevented that access but failed to do so. A trial for a lawsuit filed in October 2020 is scheduled to start on August 22. No trial date has been set for the lawsuit, which was filed in May.
