"We can't confirm or deny it — even though all the information out there says he was born at Kapiolani Hospital. And that's because of the HIPA law."
Tong acknowledged that the center has received daily inquiries from news agencies far and wide asking for confirmation of Obama's birthplace. Much as she wishes she could do it, Tong said it's not possible. "Our hands are tied," she said.People may not realize how concerned hospitals are about HIPAA, but I can tell you they are very, very careful. No one wants to risk the fines, prison sentences, and bad publicity; they do all they can to stay far on the legal side of the line. Sometimes stupidly so - like absurdly short security time lockouts on computers, sign in sheets with peel off labels so no one sees another patient's signature, etc. In the early days, some hospitals would refuse to share medical information with other hospitals or doctors taking care of the patient - fortunately most of that has been corrected.
Of course they are. They can't confirm something that never happened. HIPAA is a convenient excuse, albeit a poor one since there are plenty of exemptions for different types of disclosures, including the seemingly impossible task of getting permission from the person in question.