MyChart and a major hospital said I could opt out of sharing my health data. But they didn’t make it easy
A patient attempting to opt out of health data sharing through MyChart and a major hospital encountered significant obstacles, including misinformation from staff, a notary requirement, and a hospital that reportedly failed to follow its own stated policies.
Why this matters: Health data is about as personal as it gets. When a hospital tells you that you can opt out of sharing it, that promise should mean something. This story shows the gap between what privacy policies say and what actually happens when a real person tries to use them. Requiring a notary to protect your own medical records is not a neutral inconvenience. It is a barrier that filters out anyone without time, mobility, or resources. If opting out is this hard by design, the opt-out is not really an option.
Who should care: Healthcare professionals · Privacy officers · Compliance
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