Amazon One Medical employees viewed health data of man in wrongful death case
A wrongful death lawsuit filed in October 2024 against Amazon One Medical alleges one of its providers prescribed a man an inhaler, despite the fact he was coughing up blood amid a medical crisis. He died in an emergency room hours later, with the family accusing the company of being “careless, reckless, and negligent.”
The incident occurred in late 2023.
This week, court documents accuse nine members of Amazon One Medical of inappropriately viewing the medical records of the man, identified as 45-year-old Philip Tong. According to details updated in the lawsuit, the employees did so without a “legitimate business purpose,” likely in response to the case receiving wide media coverage.
According to the plaintiffs, Amazon One Medical admitted to the privacy invasion in a letter, citing incidents that occurred between December 2024—when the story became public—and January 2025. Viewed information included personal contacts, details on Tong's medical insurance, and protected health information contained in clinical records.
The full letter was submitted to the court along with the updated complaint, in which Tong’s family alleges that the access violated California’s medical privacy laws. The company stated that the offending parties are “no longer employed by One Medical."
In the family's updated complaint, they accuse Amazon One Medical of failing to “safeguard decedent’s medical records and information from unauthorized access, unlawful access, use or disclosure.” They also allege that the company was late in notifying them about the access, which is considered a data breach under California law and requires victims be alerted within 15 days of discovery.
It’s not clear, however, when Amazon One Medical discovered that employees had wrongfully accessed files on Tong. In a statement, a spokesperson told HealthExec the following:
“As part of our ongoing commitment to protect patient privacy and confidentiality, One Medical proactively audits internal access of patient medical records. In the event we discover inappropriate patient medical record access, we investigate and take appropriate action, which may include employee termination.”
Facts surrounding Tong's death have yet to be determined
Tong’s death and the subsequent lawsuit were detailed in a December report from the Washington Post. His family claims Tong suffered from diabetes and had been ill with the flu, spurring him to seek care through Amazon One Medical’s telehealth service.
The family claims his death was preventable had he been told to go to an emergency room, instead of being advised to purchase an inhaler to alleviate his symptoms. The lawsuit accuses Amazon One Medical of lacking “adequately trained and qualified staff,” arguing a medical professional should have recognized his dire health.
Whether or not those claims are true has yet to be determined, as Amazon One Medical has not commented on the specifics. The wrongful death lawsuit is still pending in court, and, to date, no settlement has been announced.
One Medical, a chain of primary care clinics, was purchased by Amazon for $3.9 billion in 2022.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.