Joe Conn, one of the best Health IT reporters I know, has been denied FOIA access to breach data reported to the Office of Civil Rights.
Honoring FOIA requests is a critical part of how the people ensure that the government is not abusing its power. That might sound paranoid, but blanket rejections like this are deeply problematic and are often evidence of deeper issues.
Given that this is directly related to the documentation of abuses of patient privacy, I should expect that Dr. Peel will want to get involved. Frankly, it is moments like this that I am thankful that someone like Dr. Peel is as tireless and relentless as she typically is.
When a FOIA request is refused in this manner, it will usually take a judges involvement to open things back up.
-FT