CPLR 3122 DOES NOT REQUIRE THE STATE COMPTROLLER TO ACQUIRE PATIENT AUTHORIZATIONS BEFORE SUBMITTING SUBPOENAS FOR MEDICAL RECORDS IN CONNECTION WITH AUDITS OF PRIVATE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS (CT APP).
The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Fahey, determined that the Comptroller of the State of New York, in auditing private health care providers, has the power to subpoena medical records without patient authorizations:
The Comptroller of the State of New York has a constitutional and statutory duty to audit payments of state money, including payments to private companies that provide health care to beneficiaries of a state insurance program. Here, the Comptroller carried out that obligation by means of investigatory subpoenas duces tecum directed to a medical provider, seeking patients’ records. We hold that CPLR 3122 (a) (2) does not require that the Comptroller’s subpoenas be accompanied by written patient authorizations, as the requirements set out in that paragraph apply only to subpoenas duces tecum served after commencement of an action. Matter of Plastic Surgery Group, P.C. v Comptroller of the State of N.Y., 2019 NY Slip Op 08979, CtApp 12-17-19