How does HIPA (Health Information Privacy Act of 1999) relate to genealogical research? Are records of a person deceased for more than 70 years grandfathered into this act? I have attempted to retrieve hospital records for my great-grandmother who passed in 1937 but have been denied because of privacy. She had been institutionalized
since at least 1910 and died there in 1937. We have no idea why she was there. They said I would need to be the executor of the estate or go to court and be authorized at the administrator. Is there anyone with legalese who might know the answer to this question?