Patient alleges Tufts breached privacy

A patient has sued Tufts Medical Center and a primary care doctor there, alleging that documents including her medical history were sent to a fax machine at her workplace without her consent. Kimberly White of Middleborough, 44, said in an interview that at least two co-workers read the records, causing her embarrassment. She filed a complaint in Plymouth County Superior Court alleging that her privacy rights were violated and seeking punitive damages. The hospital has denied wrongdoing. While recovering from a hysterectomy in December, White asked Kimberly Schelling, MD, to fax a required form related to a disability claim to White's employer. Instead, according to the court filing, four pages of White's medical records were sent to a shared fax machine in the office. "I feel like I might have walked in [the office] naked," White said. She did not want to share the details of her medical history, which are not included in her initial filing, but the court complaint called the information in the records "extremely embarrassing."