CHARLESTON The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that a lower court exceeded its powers when it granted a motion to compel discovery.
Logan Circuit Court granted a motion to compel discovery, ordering Health Care Alliance Inc. and HCFS Health Care Financial Services to provide the names and addresses of all individuals with a West Virginia billing address who received communications from Health Care Financial Services between June 2016 and the time Kelsey Starr filed her complaint and account information regarding the individuals who received these particular communications. Further, Petitioner was ordered to provide this information in searchable format, the June 15 Supreme Court opinion states. The circuit court further ordered that such responses shall not be disclosed by [Respondent Starr], or [Respondent Starr’s] counsel, outside the scope of this litigation, and [Respondent Starr] shall return or destroy the protected health information at the end of the