Memorial Hermann health system said it is re-evaluating its processes after staff at one of its clinics called police on an undocumented patient who presented false identification.
Blanca Borrego was arrested in an exam room at Northeast Women's Healthcare Clinic in Kingwood, Texas, part of Houston-based Memorial Hermann, after presenting a false Texas driver's license when checking in for an appointment.
Memorial Hermann spokeswoman Alex Rodriguez Loessin said staffers don't ask patients about their immigration or residency status, and the situation in question was a “unique event” in the system's history that had “nothing to do with immigration or residency status.”
The privacy rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act allows providers to report protected health information—which would include driver's license information—if it is believed to be evidence of a crime that occurred on the entity's premises.
Borrego was released on bond but has an upcoming court date to address the false ID.
