Massachusetts doctor convicted of illegally sharing PHI

Rita Luthra, MD, a gynecologist from Longmeadow, Massachusetts, was convicted on April 30 by a federal jury of one count of violation of HIPAA and one count of obstruction of a criminal health care investigation. The conviction comes after Luthra allowed a pharmaceutical sales representative from Warner Chilcott to access patients’ protected health information (PHI) and then lied to federal investigators, according to the announcement made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

From January through November 2011, Luthra allowed the sales representative access to PHI in patients’ medical files. Luthra later provided false information to federal agents when interviewed about her relationship with Warner Chilcott, the report said.

According to the report, the charge of violating HIPAA can result in a sentence of no greater than one year in prison and/or a fine of $50,000 and one year of supervised release. The charge of obstructing a criminal health care investigation provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing for Luthra has not yet been scheduled, according to the report.