OREANDA-NEWS. The US Department of Health and Human Services Civil Rights Office has launched an investigation into a joint project between Google and Ascension - Nightingale. About this writes the American media with reference to the press service of the department. According to the publication, the Ministry of Health intends to get all the information about Google’s collection of American medical data in order to establish compliance of the actions of the corporation and its partner with the law.

We are talking about the provisions of the Law on Mobility and Accountability of Health Insurance (HIPAA), adopted in 1996. According to the media, it allows hospitals to exchange data with their partners, without informing patients, only if the information is used to “help the insurance entity perform its functions of the health authority”. Experts say the Nightingale project is valid.

“We believe that Google’s work with Ascension is consistent with industry-wide guidelines (including HIPAA) regarding patient information and privacy guidelines for data usage”, a company spokesperson said.