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Massachusetts Doctor Gets Probation For Sharing Patient Info

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A Massachusetts doctor who shared private patient information with a pharmaceutical sales representative has been sentenced to a year of probation.

Federal prosecutors say 67-year-old Rita Luthra, a gynecologist who practiced and served low-income and indigent patients in Springfield, was sentenced Wednesday following her conviction in May of violation of the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act and obstruction of a criminal health care investigation.

Prosecutors say from January 2011 through November 2011, the Longmeadow woman allowed a sales representative from Warner Chilcott to access protected health information in her patients' medical files. She later lied about it to federal investigators.

Prosecutors asked for two years in prison, a request rejected by the judge.

Luthra is no longer allowed to practice in Massachusetts.

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