A NY Giants player lost his finger after a fireworks mishap on the 4th of July. But the NFL team didn’t learn about the accident — or the player’s amputated finger — until ESPN obtained the player’s medical chart and posted it online.
Giant’s defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated below the knuckle after he was hospitalized following a fireworks mishap in Miami.
Instead of informing his team, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted about the accident. He even posted a screenshot of Pierre-Paul’s medical chart.
To complicate matters further, Jackson Memorial Hospital refused to give NY Giants executives access to Pierre-Paul, citing the HIPAA privacy laws.
From the NY Daily News:
The amputation seemed to be the best way for him to heal quickly enough to return to the field this season, so the choice ostensibly was Pierre-Paul’s. It’s unclear how much time the veteran Giant will miss, but the source said Pierre-Paul being on the field for Week 1 can’t be ruled out, and that the defensive end being placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list at the start of camp is a certainty, if he signs his one-year, $14.8 million franchise tender.
According to a source, the information about Pierre-Paul’s condition may have been released by his camp; otherwise, issues of medical privacy and HIPAA Privacy Rule violations are at play.
Jackson Memorial Hospital cited HIPAA laws as to why Giants VP of medical services Ronnie Barnes could not see Pierre-Paul and said that no statements would be made at the family’s request.
A mess, chile.
