Senator Gillibrand Demands Halt to Federal Surveillance Program Requiring Hospital ER Records
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, alongside five other Senate and House Democrats, is demanding that the Trump administration suspend a new surveillance program. This program mandates that hospital systems provide detailed, personally identifiable medical records of every patient visiting their emergency departments. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and its private contractor, KONZA Health, are collecting this information, which includes patient names, birthdates, addresses, and diagnoses. The Democrats expressed their concerns in a September 3 letter to the agency, arguing that the CPSC, an agency typically regulating consumer products like lawnmowers and coffeemakers, has no credible justification for requesting such sensitive medical data, especially for injuries unrelated to consumer products. KFF Health News reports that the agency has begun to reconsider its stance due to widespread opposition.
