Council approves five-year data-sharing agreement with University Medical Center for fatality reviews; members press for privacy safeguards

The City Council approved an amendment to the cooperative endeavor agreement with University Medical Center (UMC) to extend and expand data sharing for fatality-review purposes.

Mark Paulie of the Health Department told the council the amendment extends an existing trauma-registry arrangement and adds specific provisions permitting fatality-review teams to receive de-identified trauma data and, in limited cases, lifetime records of deceased patients where those records are shared only with the review teams. He said the information exchange is governed by HIPAA protections and Louisiana law permitting fatality review teams to access decedent records for prevention-focused reviews (transcript reference to statutory authority). Council members pressed staff for details on which data elements would be shared and how access would be restricted.

Jeannie Donovan, director of public health and policy, described three review panels operating under state law—domestic violence, overdose fatalities and transportation injury reviews—and said the teams publish annual reports with recommendations. She said the reviews produce actionable multi-agency recommendations and that an overdose fatality review presentation would come to council in the summer.

Council member questions focused on scope and safeguards. Members asked whether families or next-of-kin consent was required (staff said statutory provisions allow the sharing for fatality-review purposes without family consent in the limited contexts specified), how lifetime medical records are handled (access restricted to fatality-review team members and, where shared electronically, encrypted), and what outcomes the program has produced during the prior year of data sharing (staff pointed to annual review reports and committed to provide outcomes and forthcoming presentations to the council).

The council voted to adopt the amendment extending the agreement for five years and clarifying data-sharing procedures for fatality-review teams.

What the amendment covers: The amendment preserves HIPAA safeguards and specifies that data from UMC’s trauma registry and certain full-record packages may be provided to designated fatality-review teams for review; staff described secure electronic transfer with encryption and locked physical storage for non-electronic records.

Next steps: Health Department staff will provide council with fatality-review reports and follow-up recommendations expected to inform multi-agency prevention actions later this year.

Attribution: Health Department staff (Mark Paulie, Jeannie Donovan) and council members questioned and voted on the amendment as recorded in the meeting transcript.