Latest news with #patientconfidentiality
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Former White House Physician Targeted In Biden Probe
COL Kevin O'Connnor, MC, USA speaking with Anthony Blinken, circa 2010. White House photographer David Lienemann. Phote provided by WarDocs Yesterday, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who served as Physician to the President throughout Joe Biden's term, was deposed by staff of the House Oversight Committee in conjunction with a probe to determine if senior Biden officials covered up concerns about the President's physical and mental fitness. Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) subpoenaed O'Connor to appear at a deposition after he declined to voluntarily participate in a transcribed interview. Setting politics aside, attempting to force any White House Physician to violate patient confidentiality could undermine the trust future presidents place in the doctors charged with their care. Calling the scope of the Committee's probe "unprecedented," O'Connor's lawyers initially sought to delay the hearing. "We are unaware of any prior occasion on which a Congressional Committee has subpoenaed a physician to testify about the treatment of an individual patient," they wrote. "And the notion that a Congressional Committee would do so without any regard whatsoever for the confidentiality of the physician-patient relationship is alarming." Swiftly rejecting these concerns, Chairman Comer insisted that the deposition proceed. On July 8, the day before it was scheduled, Fox News reported that Dr. O'Connor had received written notice that President Trump waived executive privilege for his work as Physician to the President. 'In light of the unique and extraordinary nature of the matters under investigation, President Trump has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the national interest, and therefore is not justified, with respect to particular subjects within the purview of the House Oversight Committee.' The White House explained, 'These subjects include your assessment of former President Biden's fitness for the office of the president and your financial relationship with the Biden family.' On July 9, O'Connor appeared for the deposition but declined to answer any Committee questions. His attorney, David Schertler, explained why in a statement to the press. It read, in part: 'On the advice of his legal counsel, Dr. O'Connor refused to answer questions that invaded the well-established legal privilege that protects confidential matters between physicians and their patients. His assertion of his right under the Fifth Amendment to decline to answer questions, also on the advice of his lawyers, was made necessary by the unique circumstances of this deposition,' the statement said. Shortly before Dr. O'Connor's deposition, Rep. Comer gave insight into the 'unique circumstances' Mr. Schertler was referring to. 'I don't believe that he can hide behind doctor-patient confidentiality, because this is the president of the United States, and people expect the White House physician to be truthful and transparent about the president of the United States' health.' Given the Committee Chair's dismissal of doctor-patient confidentiality, Schertler probably concluded that his client risked prosecution if he relied on that principle alone. Emerging from the deposition, Comer was indignant. In a statement to reporters, he declared, 'It's clear there was a conspiracy to cover up President Biden's cognitive decline after Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician and family business associate, refused to answer any questions and chose to hide behind the Fifth Amendment. The American people demand transparency, but Dr. O'Connor would rather conceal the truth,' Comer said in a statement. 'Dr. O'Connor took the Fifth when asked if he was told to lie about President Biden's health and whether he was fit to be President of the United States. Congress must assess legislative solutions to prevent such a coverup from happening again. We will continue to interview more Biden White House aides to get the answers Americans deserve.' Later that day, The New York Times reported that, in a statement to the committee, O'Connor's lawyer reminded them of Trump's past invocations of the Fifth Amendment. He also noted that the Supreme Court has stated that a basic function of the Fifth Amendment is to protect 'innocent people who might otherwise be ensnared in ambiguous circumstances.' Who is Dr. Kevin O'Connor? Dr. Kevin O'Connor, deployed as an Army physician in support of U.S. Army Special Operations, circa ... More 2003 WarDocs podcast A combat-deployed veteran with 22 years of active duty in the U.S. Army medical corps (much of it in special operations), Dr. O'Connor served, at various points, as a Master Flight Surgeon, Hyperbaric Medical Officer, Command Surgeon for a small elite unit within U.S. Army Special Command, Joint Strike Force Surgeon and Battalion Surgeon for the 75th Ranger Regiment. In addition to deploying with Special Operations units on numerous classified combat missions, he was an active contributor to the development of Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TC3) and helped devise several battlefield medicine innovations. In 2006, the Army assigned him to the White House Medical Unit, where he filled several roles. In 2009, he was tapped to serve as physician to the Vice President, a role he held for eight years. At the end of the Obama administration, he retired from the Army and joined the faculty of the George Washington University School of Medicine. There, he founded the GWU Center for Executive Medicine and was highly regarded as a clinician and medical educator. In 2021, he returned to the White House as Physician to the President, a position he held until January 2025. The Duties Of A White House Physician The website of the U.S. Military Health System describes the role this way: 'White House physicians protect the health of the President of the United States. In collaboration with the White House Medical Unit, White House physicians also provide health care to members of the president's immediate family, the vice president, the vice president's family, and White House staff.' It says nothing about disclosing information shared in confidence by the president, the vice president, members of their immediate families or the White House staff. The Hippocratic Oath At my medical school commencement, I joined my classmates in reciting the Hippocratic Oath, an ancient vow to uphold the professional obligations and proper conduct of doctors. Modern translations of the Oath are still recited at most medical schools. The penultimate passage, translated into modern English, follows: 'Whatever I see or hear in the lives of my patients, whether in connection with my professional practice or not, which ought not to be spoken of outside, I will keep secret, as considering all such things to be private.' The Oath's closing statement follows: 'So long as I maintain this Oath faithfully and without corruption, may it be granted to me to partake of life fully and the practice of my art, gaining the respect of all men for all time. However, should I transgress this Oath and violate it, may the opposite be my fate.' The Bottom Line The effectiveness of every Physician to the President is defined by their judgment, skill and the faith and confidence placed in them by the President of the United States. If Dr. O'Connor or any future Physician to the President is compelled to violate their patient's medical confidentiality, future presidents might choose not to share vital health information with their doctor or be reluctant to disclose worrisome symptoms at a critical moment. Either consequence could be devastating for our country. I does not surprise me that Dr. O'Connor, a longtime military physician who repeatedly put his life on the line in service to our country, did not hesitate to put his reputation on the line to protect the medical confidentiality of a former president. Moreover, his commitment to the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship demonstrates respect for a key tenet of the profession of medicine. WarDocs is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and apolitical organization established to honor the legacy, preserve the oral history, and showcase career opportunities, unique expeditionary experiences, and achievements of Military Medicine. The views in this commentary are the author's and do not neccessarily reflect those of any past or current employer.
Sky News
23-06-2025
- Health
- Sky News
NHS patients filming medical treatment for TikTok and Instagram, radiographers say
Patients are filming their NHS medical treatment for TikTok and Instagram, potentially putting them and others at risk, medical professionals have said. Ashley d'Aquino, a therapeutic radiographer working in London, said a rising number of patients are choosing to film their treatment for social media. The Society of Radiographers (SoR) said it is causing healthcare staff unnecessary anxiety when they are trying to carry out their job and is putting patient confidentiality at risk. The organisation added that distracting staff and making them uncomfortable could compromise the delivery of their medical treatment. The SoR is calling for the NHS to implement policies to prevent patients from photographing or filming clinical procedures without permission. Ms d'Aquino, who is a union rep, told the SoR's annual delegates' conference that members of staff had approached her over patients recording some of their cancer treatment. She said one worker agreed to take photos for a patient, "but when the patient handed over her phone, the member of staff saw that the patient had also been covertly recording her to publish on her cancer blog". "As NHS staff, we wear name badges, so our names will be visible in any video. It makes people feel very uncomfortable and anxious," Ms d'Aquino explained. Filming treatments also puts patient confidentiality at risk, another worker explained. A radiology department assistant from the south coast said she was using a cannula on a cancer patient when the patient's 19-year-old daughter started filming the procedure without asking for permission. "She wanted to record the cannulation because she thought it would be entertaining on social media," she said. But in the next bay, a patient was having consent taken for a virtual colonoscopy, which is "an invasive and potentially embarrassing procedure". The consent, including names and dates of birth, could have been recorded on the video, putting the patient at risk. "There are people who come into our department who have a limited social media presence because of risks to their safety. Patients filming make them feel unsafe in their own hospital," she said. The department assistant said she had sleepless nights worrying about whether she did her job properly in this situation. Filming treatments affects all healthcare workers, according to Dean Rogers, SoR director of industrial strategy and member relations. He said all hospital trusts should have policies in place around patients taking photos and filming procedures to stop people filming without staff knowledge and permission. "Hospitals need to ensure that they meet the needs of patients while also looking after staff members' wellbeing," Mr Rogers said. "And, in this case, safeguarding the one simultaneously safeguards the other - allowing healthcare professionals to do their job in safety, while also protecting patients' privacy and helping them to receive the best possible care." Ms d'Aquino acknowledged that there may be some valid reasons for patients to record medical conversations, for example, to "enhance their understanding and retention of medical information" by making audio recordings of consultations.
Sky News
17-06-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Patients filming NHS medical treatment for TikTok and Instagram, radiographers say
Patients are filming their NHS medical treatment for TikTok and Instagram, potentially putting them and others at risk, medical professionals have said. Ashley d'Aquino, a therapeutic radiographer working in London, said a rising number of patients are choosing to film their treatment for social media. The Society of Radiographers (SoR) said it is causing healthcare staff unnecessary anxiety when they are trying to carry out their job and is putting patient confidentiality at risk. The organisation added that distracting staff and making them uncomfortable could compromise the delivery of their medical treatment. The SoR is calling for the NHS to implement policies to prevent patients from photographing or filming clinical procedures without permission. Ms d'Aquino, who is a union rep, told the SoR's annual delegates' conference that members of staff had approached her over patients recording some of their cancer treatment. She said one worker agreed to take photos for a patient, "but when the patient handed over her phone, the member of staff saw that the patient had also been covertly recording her to publish on her cancer blog". "As NHS staff, we wear name badges, so our names will be visible in any video. It makes people feel very uncomfortable and anxious," Ms d'Aquino explained. Filming treatments also puts patient confidentiality at risk, another worker explained. A radiology department assistant from the south coast said she was using a cannula on a cancer patient when the patient's 19-year-old daughter started filming the procedure without asking for permission. "She wanted to record the cannulation because she thought it would be entertaining on social media," she said. But in the next bay, a patient was having consent taken for a virtual colonoscopy, which is "an invasive and potentially embarrassing procedure". The consent, including names and dates of birth, could have been recorded on the video, putting the patient at risk. "There are people who come into our department who have a limited social media presence because of risks to their safety. Patients filming make them feel unsafe in their own hospital," she said. The department assistant said she had sleepless nights worrying about whether she did her job properly in this situation. Filming treatments affects all healthcare workers, according to Dean Rogers, SoR director of industrial strategy and member relations. He said all hospital trusts should have policies in place around patients taking photos and filming procedures to stop people filming without staff knowledge and permission. "Hospitals need to ensure that they meet the needs of patients while also looking after staff members' wellbeing," Mr Rogers said. "And, in this case, safeguarding the one simultaneously safeguards the other - allowing healthcare professionals to do their job in safety, while also protecting patients' privacy and helping them to receive the best possible care." Ms d'Aquino acknowledged that there may be some valid reasons for patients to record medical conversations, for example, to "enhance their understanding and retention of medical information" by making audio recordings of consultations.
