Opinion ID: 1155855
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Waiver of Right to Privacy in Medical Records Under Georgia Law

Text: Georgia law is clear that a plaintiff waives his right to privacy with regard to medical records that are relevant to a medical condition the plaintiff placed in issue in a civil or criminal proceeding. OCGA § 24-9-40(a); Orr v. Sievert, 162 Ga.App. 677, 292 S.E.2d 548 (1982). Therefore, under Georgia law, once a plaintiff puts his medical condition in issue, defendant can seek plaintiff's protected health information by formal discovery, or informally, by communicating orally with a plaintiff's physicians. [7] The question then is whether ex parte communications between defense counsel and plaintiff's physicians violate the HIPAA privacy rule. They do if HIPAA preempts state law in this area.