Windsor doctor has privileges revoked after allegedly accessing newborn data for profit

The joy and excitement of welcoming a new baby has been marred for a Belle River mom, who says she’s “disturbed” to learn a doctor looking to profit targeted her newborn.

Madison DeLong, whose second son was born in January, is one of 800 people to receive notice from area hospitals that her baby’s data was “inappropriately accessed” by a pediatrician within Windsor Regional Hospital.

“I'm very scared about it,” DeLong said.

“I’m more worried for my baby than for myself. He just started his life, he doesn't really need this going on.”

In a statement sent to CTV News Thursday, WRH confirmed a physician, who they have declined to identify, used the regional electronic medical records system without authorization in an effort to offer services at a private clinic.

DeLong says that manifested for her in the form of a call from a blocked number two weeks after her son was born.

“It was a physician asking if I wanted my son circumcised at his private clinic,” she recalled.

“This didn’t happen with my first son. I was a little bit concerned.”

DeLong says the male voice on the other end of the call never identified themselves.

That was in February, and she’d all but forgotten it when, in July, she received a letter from the hospital telling her about the breach.

“I didn't know what to do,” DeLong said.

“I was mortified, a little bit disturbed.”

According to WRH, the physician in question has had their hospital privileges revoked.

The matter has been reported to both the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

The latter told CTV News they were unable to comment for reasons of confidentiality.

WRH said it’s not clear how many newborns the pediatrician cold-called, but that letters were sent to those who gave birth to boys between January and May of this year – whether at Windsor Regional, Erie Shores HealthCare, or Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.

The statement read in part: “WRH and the Erie St. Clair Region Hospitals have policies in place regarding confidentiality and privacy of personal health information to ensure compliance with applicable privacy laws, and do not tolerate unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of patient personal health information.”

For DeLong and her mother-in-law Barbara Campbell, that offers little comfort, as their bundle-of-joy’s privacy was breached before he was even a month old.

“How many other children have they done this to?” Campbell asked.

“And how many parents went through with the circumcision? It’s horrible.”

Circumcisions not medically necessary are not covered by OHIP, costing parents hundreds of dollars. One local clinic charges $250 for babies from 0-28 days old, $350 up to 60 days, and the cost increases from there.

Anne Genge, a certified information privacy professional who specializes in medical data, calls the alleged offense “appalling.”

“This is not just a simple snooping case,” she said.

“This person is seeking to financially exploit these individuals and their children.”

Genge said it’s possible the ongoing investigations could see fines leveled against the doctor and hospital(s) in question.

She says the digital nature of the breach should make the investigation “fairly cut-and-dry.”

“It’s not like 20 years ago when we had paper charts. Today you really can’t do anything in a computer system without being caught. There are logs that show exactly what you did.”

It’s possible, she said, that the doctor and healthcare facilities could face lawsuits from the impacted families.

DeLong and Campbell encourage other families to come forward and share their experiences, should they feel comfortable.

“I’m so angry right now,” Campbell said.

“The hospital will not even give us the information of who this doctor is. Everyone has a right to know.”

WRH says there is no evidence the physician “exported, printed, or otherwise electronically took personal health information from the hospital system, or retained any personal health information.”

DeLong finds little solace, as the joyful experience of welcoming her second baby is now overshadowed by this troubling incident.

“When I look back at the day I gave birth, I’m just constantly reminded about how there was a physician in the hospital illegally looking at his information,” she said.