Court Opinion

ID: 9765026
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 03:48:09.2577+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:03.589014
License: Public Domain

ROBERTS, Justice,
concurring.
For the reasons set forth in the concurring opinion in In re B., 482 Pa. 471, 487-94, 394 A.2d 419, 426-30 (1978), I agree with the majority that the tissue sample reports subpoenaed here are not privileged under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5929. Nor do I see any constitutional impediment to the supervising court’s order. I am confident that, in light of well-established hospital practice preserving patient confidentiality by way of numerical identification of patient data, the supervising court can fully protect patients against any allegedly prejudicial disclosures. Indeed, the grand jury itself, sworn to secrecy and under constant court supervision, provides at least as great assurance of protection as does either appellant’s institution or the outside laboratories involved in handling and processing the tissue samples. Unlike the grand jury, the latter organizations are not so sworn. Thus, I too would affirm the order of the supervising court and vacate this Court’s previous stay.