HIMSS v. PedSource [1]

Lawyers from the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society [2] (HIMSS), a health care industry trade group, sent letters [3]to two bloggers demanding that they remove allegedly offensive and defamatory user comments, provide any information that may help in the identification of the comment posters, and preserve all records relating to the posters.  Specifically, the letters concern a comment [4] by “Rocky Ostrand” on Chip Hart's blog, “Confessions of a Pediatric Practice Consultant [5],” which is hosted at pedsource.com [6], a service provided by Physician's Computer Company (PCC); and comments by “Calvin Jablonski” on the blog of Chilmark Research [7].

Both bloggers have posted [8] responses [9] to the letters, refusing to remove the allegely defamatory comments or provide information to aid in identifying the potentially pseudonymous commenters.  Both have, however, offered to post any response to the comments which HIMSS may wish to make.  At this point, it does not appear that HIMSS has taken either blogger up on this offer.