[tapp]

Argument seems to be that patient privacy is moot because the patient's right to privacy expired when he died. From the article:

"...the state does not recognize a common law right to privacy and... any privacy right Mr. Chanko did have ended upon his death."

[kalleboo]

Just googling "HIPAA death" seems to suggest the right to privacy extends 50 years after death:

"The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the individually identifiable health information about a decedent for 50 years following the date of death of the individual"