Congressional Democrats demand details on Google's use of patient data by Dec. 6

, and the companies confirmed, that they had signed an industry-standard agreement that allows for some sharing of protected health information under the current health privacy rules, known as HIPAA, but forbids either company from using that data for any purpose but to provide patient care.

The intention for the project was to develop tools for Ascension's clinicians to more easily search the medical record, and it was part of a larger deal for Ascension to move to Google cloud and its G Suite of productivity apps. But policymakers remain unconvinced by Google's stated intentions, and have asked for briefings by December 6 on exactly how the information is being stored in Google's cloud.

"Despite the sensitivity of the information collected through Project Nightingale, reports indicate that employees across Google, including at its parent company, have access to, and the ability to download, the personal health information of Ascension's patients," the letter reads.acknowledged that some employees did have access to the information but stressed that it did not use the data for advertising purposes.

Whether the company broke the law or not, some health privacy experts have called for a review of the policies under HIPAA that allow for companies to share health data without informing patients.that allow for health providers to not notify patients that they've shared their data.

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