On Tuesday, Vanderbilt University Medical Center turned over its transgender patient medical records to the Tennessee Attorney General’s office as part of an ongoing investigation.
A VUMC spokesperson confirmed to The Tennessean this week that the records were provided to AG Jonathan Skrmetti’s office for an investigation into potential medical billing fraud. The state reportedly requested records from Jan. 1, 2018 to present day.
"VUMC received requests from the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General as part of its investigation seeking information about transgender care at VUMC. The Tennessee Attorney General has legal authority in an investigation to require that VUMC provide complete copies of patient medical records that are relevant to its investigation. VUMC was obligated to comply and did so," John Howser, VUMC's chief communications officer, said in a statement to the outlet.
In a statement to its patients, VUMC said it provided the records to the AG’s office with “assurance that the records would remain confidential as required by Tennessee law.”
Chris Sanders, the executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, reportedly said that there was “panic” from patients and their families as a result.
AG Chief of Staff Brandon Smith said in a statement to The Tennessean that “we are surprised the VUMC has deliberately chosen to frighten its patients like this.”
"The Office does not publicize fraud investigations to preserve the integrity of the investigative process. The Office maintains patient records in the strictest confidence, as required by law. The investigation is focused solely on VUMC and certain related providers, not patients, as VUMC is well aware,” he added.
Late last year, VUMC made headlines for providing transgender care for minors. Townhall covered how VUMC began offering transgender care for kids because it’s a “big money maker.” This was revealed on Twitter by conservative commentator Matt Walsh.
After the alarming details about the clinic were revealed by Walsh, VUMC put out a statement claiming that his reporting “misrepresented” facts about the clinic. However, Walsh's Twitter thread pulled straight from the clinic’s webpage and lectures from its physicians that were available on the internet, which Townhall covered.
Vanderbilt opened its trans clinic in 2018. During a lecture the same year, Dr. Shayne Taylor explained how she convinced Nashville to get into the gender transition game. She emphasized that it's a "big money maker," especially because the surgeries require a lot of "follow ups" pic.twitter.com/zedM7HBCBe
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 20, 2022
Walsh’s Twitter thread went viral caught the attention of lawmakers who began calling for investigations into the clinic. Then, VUMC wiped its web pages pertaining to “gender-affirming” care and suspended all permanent transgender operations on minors.