Christ Hospital’s website contains a search engine that patients are encouraged to use, which allows people to search for physicians in the Christ Hospital network, including those specialized in treating specific ailments. The site also allows patients to schedule appointments online.
The lawsuit alleged Christ Hospital “secretly deployed” a Meta Pixel, a piece of JavaScript code that allows users to track visitor activity on a website, to collect patient information and, subsequently, disseminate the information to Meta and other third-party companies for targeted advertisements.
That line of code tracked and disseminated patients’ activity on the Christ Hospital website, including search histories for physicians, a patient’s IP address and the types of illness or injury for which they were seeking treatment without informing the patient, the lawsuit said.
According to court documents, Christ Hospital agreed to establish a settlement fund of at least $4.5 million with a maximum value of no more than $7 million. The exact amount of the settlement fund will depend on the number of valid claims submitted.
Those eligible for a payout from the settlement include all individuals who are or were patients of Christ Hospital or any of its affiliates, used Christ Hospital’s patient portal and/or mobile app, or submitted a health risk assessment, appointment request form or nurse navigator request form between Dec. 30, 2018, and Jan. 13, 2023.
Those who are eligible and submit a valid claim will receive an estimated cash payment of at least $37.50.
Claim forms must be submitted or postmarked by Oct. 23. Those who want to exclude themselves by opting out of the settlement class or object to the settlement have until Sept. 23.
You can go to tchsettlement.com to learn more about the settlement and submit a claim.
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