OHH to query patients on citizenship status

The staff of Olney Hamilton Hospital was wrestling with how to comply with a state mandate to collect citizenship data on patients, a requirement that may violate federal privacy laws, OHH Chief of Staff Dr. Mark Mankins told the board at an Aug. 23 meeting.

Gov. Abbott on Aug. 8 issued an executive order directing the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect information on illegal immigrants who use Texas public hospitals for inpatient and emergency care and to report incurred healthcare costs from what the governor described as “the Biden-Harris Administration’s reckless open border policies.”

“There is quite a lot of that in this town,” Dr. Mankins said.

OHH Administrator Michael Huff said the new rule would not affect patients’ access to care.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do [with the information,” Mr. Huff said.

“It will not impact the care we give,” Chief Nursing Officer Samantha Webb told the board. “With everything we know about HIPAA [the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] - this violates it.”

HIPAA is a 1996 federal law that protects patients’ medical information and sets standards for storaging it.

Dr. Chantal Taylor told the board that the new rule would surely affect health outcomes.

“If I were a patient, I would be afraid to show up,” she said.

Abbott said the state will tally up the cost of care for illegal immigrants and seek reimbursement from the federal government.