A lawsuit has been filed against Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Health System and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center alleging the hospital shared patient data with third parties, according to a Feb. 15 report from ABC News.
The proposed class-action lawsuit was filed Feb. 3 by plaintiff John Doe, who is claiming the hospital shared his and other patients' private information with marketing and social media platforms. These platforms include Google, Meta and Microsoft Bing.
The lawsuit states that Cedars-Sinai patients can use its website or app to access the patient portal, where they are able to research medical conditions and symptoms, physicians who can treat them and other health issues or concerns.
The lawsuit also claims Cedars-Sinai has Meta Pixel programmed on its website, which uses code to identify how users are interacting with a website's content. The plaintiff claims he saw an increase in health-related ads, specifically concerning a condition he researched using the patient portal, after using Cedars-Sinai's platform.
The lawsuit also claims Cedars-Sinai implemented tracking codes from Microsoft Bing and Google Analytics.
A spokesperson for Cedars-Sinai did not comment on the allegations but told ABC News in a statement that the hospital upholds patient privacy.
"We will continue to follow regulatory guidance in this area while striving to provide the best website experience for people searching for healthcare information and treatment options," the statement read.