Posted By Steve Alder on Feb 7, 2025

A lawsuit has been filed against the Rhode Island Quality Institute (RIQI) by a former HIPAA officer who alleges she was terminated for blowing the whistle on impermissible disclosures of HIE data. RIQI is a Rhode Island state government contractor and was the operator of the state health information exchange (HIE) – CaseCurrent – from 2021 to July 2024, when the contract was awarded to another vendor.

Darlene Morris first started working for RIQI in 2012 in the role of Manager of the Electronic Health Record Adoption Program. Morris was promoted on several occasions and was appointed Senior Director, Programs in 2019. Two years later she started serving as RIQI’s HIPAA Privacy Officer and, in 2023, her job title was changed to Senior Director, Risk Management & Compliance/HIPAA Compliance Officer. In that role, Morris reported to RIQI’s President and CEO, Dr. Indra Neil Sarkar. Morris remained in that role until July 2024 when she was terminated.

Dr. Sarkar was appointed to the position of President and CEO of RIQI in 2020, after serving as the interim President and CEO. Dr. Sarkar was also employed by Brown University, where he was an Associate Professor and a leased employee of RIQI.

The HIE is a voluntary exchange and handles the confidential health information of around 550,000 state residents, around half the population of the state. RIQI is required to comply with the Rhode Island Confidentiality of Health Care Communications...

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