Thousands of Charlotte-area residents who have used an Atrium Health patient portal over the past decade could be eligible for a cash payment after the healthcare system agreed to a $1.8 million class action settlement over alleged patient privacy violations.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, which operates as Atrium Health, agreed to settle claims that it embedded tracking pixels on its website and, for a limited time, its patient portal without patients’ consent. The lawsuit alleged the technology disclosed users’ personal and health-related information to third parties, including Meta, for advertising purposes.
The settlement received preliminary court approval on May 22, 2026. Atrium Health denies any wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
The settlement applies to all U.S. residents who had a MyAtriumHealth or MyCarolinas patient portal account between January 1, 2015, and April 10, 2024.
Eligible patients fall into two groups:
Group 1: People who accessed or used their patient portal between January 1, 2015, and July 31, 2019. These claimants will receive a proportional share of a $1.5 million settlement fund after court-approved fees and expenses.
Group 2: People who had a patient portal account between January 1, 2015, and April 10, 2024, but do not qualify for Group 1. They may receive up to $10 from a separate $300,000 fund. Those eligible for Group 1 cannot also receive a Group 2 payment.
Eligible patients can submit a claim online or by mail through the court-approved settlement website. Claims must be filed by September 28, 2026. Alternatively, you could have a claim advisors handle it for you here.
A final approval hearing is scheduled for September 30, 2026. Payments will be distributed only if the settlement receives final approval and any appeals are resolved.
The lawsuit alleged Atrium Health failed to obtain patients’ consent before using website tracking technology that transmitted certain personal and health-related information to third-party companies for advertising and analytics purposes.
