Missouri Delta Medical Center Pixel Tracking Settlement, $20 Cash Payment and Free Privacy Protection for Eligible Patients

Missouri Delta Medical Center (MDMC) has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit over claims that third-party tracking technologies on its website and patient portal sent patient information to outside companies without authorization. Eligible Missouri patients can receive a $20 cash payment and a free one-year CyEx Privacy Shield enrollment code. MDMC denies all wrongdoing, and the court has not ruled that it broke any law.

The case is Jane Doe and Janet Doe v. Missouri Delta Medical Center, Case No. 23PE-CC00038, in the Circuit Court of Pemiscot County, Missouri. If you used the MDMC patient portal between 2017 and 2022, the next few weeks matter: the opt-out deadline is November 25, 2026, and the claim and objection deadlines are December 28, 2026.

Missouri Delta Medical Center Settlement: Quick Facts

Settlement detail	Information
Cash payment	$20.00 per approved claim (one per person)
Privacy benefit	One year of CyEx Privacy Shield (code appears on the notice)
Defendant	Missouri Delta Medical Center (MDMC)
Lawsuit	Jane Doe and Janet Doe v. Missouri Delta Medical Center
Case number	23PE-CC00038
Court	Circuit Court of Pemiscot County, Missouri
Original petition filed	December 14, 2022
Main allegations	Unauthorized transmission of patient information through third-party website tracking technologies
Technologies named	Meta Pixel, Google Analytics and similar tools
Class period	October 1, 2017 to December 31, 2022
Who qualifies	Living Missouri patients who logged into the MDMC Patient Portal during the class period and appear on the Settlement Class List
Estimated class size	Approximately 8,291 people
Claim form required	Yes, for the $20 cash payment
Claim deadline	December 28, 2026 (online by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, or postmarked by that date)
Opt-out deadline	November 25, 2026
Objection deadline	December 28, 2026
Preliminary approval	September 24, 2026
Final approval hearing	January 4, 2027, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time
Settlement administrator	Atticus Administration
Administrator phone	1-800-870-5147
Settlement website	mdmcpixelsettlement.com
Current status	Claims open; final approval pending

What Is the Missouri Delta Medical Center Pixel Tracking Lawsuit About?

The lawsuit alleges that MDMC placed third-party tracking technologies, including Meta Pixel and Google Analytics, on its public website and patient portal. According to the plaintiffs, those tools sent certain patient information to outside technology companies without the patients’ authorization.

A tracking pixel is a small piece of code embedded in a web page. Depending on how it is configured, it can record page visits, button clicks, device identifiers and other website events, then send that data to the company behind the tool. On a retail site, that is ordinary marketing analytics. On a hospital’s patient portal, the same activity can hint at a person’s relationship with a healthcare provider, which is why privacy lawyers treat it differently.

MDMC firmly denies the allegations and says it did nothing improper. It agreed to settle to avoid the cost, burden and uncertainty of continued litigation. The settlement is not an admission of liability, and the court has not made a final finding against MDMC.

What Information Was Allegedly Shared With Third Parties?

The public settlement notice does not itemize exactly what was transmitted for each patient. It refers to Meta Pixel, Google Analytics and similar or related technologies. That gap matters. Logging into a portal does not automatically mean a patient’s full medical record, diagnoses, prescriptions or billing information went to Facebook or Google. The actual data depends on how the code was set up, which events it tracked and what the page made available to it.

The settlement resolves these allegations without requiring class members to prove identity theft, financial loss or any specific disclosure of their records.

Why Is Patient Portal Tracking a Privacy Concern?

A patient portal is a password-protected environment. Depending on the provider, patients may use it to view test results, message their care team, manage appointments, pay bills or request prescription refills. Tracking code that runs inside that environment raises questions about what it can see and where the data goes.

When portal activity is tied to a logged-in identity, an IP address or another identifier, it can reveal more about a person’s healthcare than they chose to share. That is the core privacy argument in this case and in many similar lawsuits across the country. For a broader look at portal-tracking cases, see our guide MyChart Class Action Lawsuits & Settlements 2026, Eligibility, Claims & How to File.

Who Filed the Lawsuit and How Did the Case Develop?

The plaintiffs, identified in court filings as Jane Doe and Janet Doe, sued on behalf of themselves and other MDMC patients. The settlement agreement describes this history:

Date	Case development
December 14, 2022	Original petition filed in Scott County, Missouri
February 9, 2023	First amended petition filed, adding another plaintiff
February 15, 2023	Case transferred to Pemiscot County
April 12, 2023	MDMC filed a motion to dismiss
January 8, 2024	Court heard arguments on the motion to dismiss
February 27, 2024	Court denied MDMC’s motion to dismiss
March 7, 2024	MDMC filed its answer
April 12, 2026	Parties participated in mediation
September 4, 2026	Settlement agreement signed
September 18, 2026	Settlement agreement filed with the court
September 24, 2026	Preliminary approval order entered

The February 2024 ruling let the case move forward. Denying a motion to dismiss only means the court found the claims could proceed. It is not a ruling that MDMC violated any privacy law.

Which Laws Apply to the Missouri Delta Medical Center Privacy Dispute?

The public notice and settlement agreement describe the allegations and the claims being released, but they do not provide a count-by-count list of the causes of action in the original petition. So it would be inaccurate to call this a proven HIPAA violation or a confirmed Wiretap Act case. The frameworks below are the ones that commonly apply to hospital pixel-tracking disputes, and they explain why a case like this carries real legal weight.

1. HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 C.F.R. Part 164)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 protects “protected health information” held by covered entities such as hospitals. Under 45 C.F.R. § 164.502, a covered entity generally may not use or disclose that information except as the rule permits. Marketing-type disclosures generally require a valid written authorization under 45 C.F.R. § 164.508. If a tracking vendor receives protected health information on a provider’s behalf, it may be a business associate, which calls for a business associate agreement under 45 C.F.R. §§ 164.502(e) and 164.504(e).

The HHS Office for Civil Rights issued a bulletin in December 2022, updated in March 2024, warning that tracking technologies on patient portals and certain webpages can result in impermissible disclosures. The HIPAA Security Rule (45 C.F.R. § 164.312) and Breach Notification Rule (45 C.F.R. §§ 164.400–414) can also come into play.

Related article: Vivus Servicing $16.5 Million LDF High-Interest Loan Settlement, Who Qualifies, How Much Borrowers Can Get and the January 4, 2027 Deadline

2. The 2024 Court Ruling Limiting HHS Guidance

On June 20, 2024, a federal district court in Texas decided American Hospital Association v. Becerra (N.D. Tex.) and vacated part of the HHS bulletin. That part concerned whether an IP address alone, combined with a visit to an unauthenticated public webpage, counts as protected health information. HHS later dropped its appeal.

The ruling did not erase HIPAA duties around tracking. It left in place HHS’s position on tracking inside authenticated pages such as patient portals, which is the setting at issue in the MDMC settlement class.

3. HIPAA Does Not Give Patients a Private Right to Sue

HIPAA is enforced by HHS and, under the HITECH Act, by state attorneys general (42 U.S.C. § 1320d-5). Courts have consistently held that patients cannot sue a provider for damages directly under HIPAA. Civil penalties and criminal penalties (42 U.S.C. § 1320d-6) are brought by government enforcers. That is why private pixel lawsuits usually rely on other laws, including state law, even when HIPAA principles shape the arguments.

4. Federal Wiretap Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 2510–2523)

The federal Wiretap Act, part of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, prohibits intentionally intercepting the contents of electronic communications (18 U.S.C. § 2511) and allows a civil suit for damages (18 U.S.C. § 2520). One party’s consent is a defense, but there is a “crime-tort” exception: consent does not protect an interception made to commit a crime or tort. Plaintiffs in pixel cases often argue that sharing health information in violation of HIPAA triggers that exception, citing 42 U.S.C. § 1320d-6. Courts have split on this theory.

5. Missouri Wiretap Act (Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 542.400–542.422)

Missouri has its own wiretap statute. Section 542.402 prohibits unlawful interception of wire communications, and Section 542.418 allows a person whose communications were intercepted or disclosed to bring a civil action for damages. Missouri is a one-party consent state, so a defendant would typically argue that a party to the communication consented. Plaintiffs counter that the patient never agreed to the third-party transmission.

6. Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 407.020)

The Missouri Merchandising Practices Act prohibits deceptive or unfair practices in connection with the sale of merchandise, which includes services. A private action is available under Section 407.025 for people who purchase goods or services for personal use and suffer an ascertainable loss. Plaintiffs sometimes plead that promising patient privacy while running third-party trackers is deceptive. Whether a patient has an “ascertainable loss” is often the hardest point to prove.

7. Missouri Computer Tampering Statutes (Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 569.095–569.099; § 537.525)

Missouri’s computer tampering laws prohibit unauthorized access to or use of computer data, and Section 537.525 provides a civil remedy. These statutes occasionally appear in tracking-technology complaints.

8. Missouri Common-Law Privacy and Confidentiality Claims

Missouri recognizes invasion of privacy torts, including intrusion upon seclusion and public disclosure of private facts. Patients may also allege breach of confidence, negligence or breach of an implied contract tied to the provider’s privacy promises.

9. FTC Act Section 5 and the Health Breach Notification Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 318)

These mostly apply to companies outside HIPAA, such as health apps and websites. The FTC has used them against companies that shared health data with advertising platforms. They do not directly govern a HIPAA-covered hospital, but they show the broader regulatory view that sharing health data with ad platforms is high-risk.

10. Missouri Class Action Rule 52.08

The settlement itself is governed by Missouri Supreme Court Rule 52.08, which sets the requirements for class certification and requires court approval of a class settlement after notice to class members. That is why there is a preliminary approval order, an objection period and a final approval hearing.

Who Qualifies for the Missouri Delta Medical Center Settlement?

The Settlement Class includes all living Missouri patients of MDMC who logged into the MDMC Patient Portal between October 1, 2017, and December 31, 2022, and who appear on the Settlement Class List that MDMC gave the administrator.

The following are excluded: the judge and court staff and their immediate families; MDMC and its subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, officers and directors; and Settlement Class Counsel and related attorneys.

The class list is how the administrator identifies people. If you think you qualify but did not get a notice, contact the administrator at 1-800-870-5147 to check your status and request login credentials.

What Benefits Do Eligible Patients Receive?

1. $20 cash payment. One payment per person, available to class members who submit a valid and timely claim.

2. One year of CyEx Privacy Shield. CyEx Privacy Shield Pro is a privacy-monitoring product that includes a VPN, password protection, data-broker opt-out tools, private search and a digital vault. Eligible class members receive an enrollment code on their notice, and activation is separate from the cash claim. Check your notice for the code and activation instructions, since the code is not part of the claim form.

You can receive both benefits.

How Is the Settlement Funded?

MDMC has agreed to pay all approved claims, notice and administration costs, court-approved attorneys’ fees and costs, and service awards to the Class Representatives. There is no fixed common fund that shrinks as more people file, so your $20 is not reduced when more claims come in.

Key Deadlines

Date	What happens
November 25, 2026	Deadline to opt out (exclude yourself)
December 28, 2026	Claim deadline: online by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, or paper claim postmarked by this date
December 28, 2026	Deadline to object
January 4, 2027, 9:00 a.m. Central	Final approval hearing at the Pemiscot County Courthouse in Caruthersville, Missouri (or remotely if the court orders)
About 60 days after final approval	Payments expected, if no appeal is filed

How to File a Claim for the MDMC Settlement

1. Find your notice. Look for the mailed or emailed notice from the Settlement Administrator. It includes your Settlement Class Member Login ID and Password.
2. Go to the official website. Visit mdmcpixelsettlement.com and open the claim form login page.
3. Log in and complete the form. Enter your Login ID and Password and follow the prompts.
4. Choose how you want to be paid. Options include a paper check, or PayPal, Venmo or Zelle if you elect one.
5. Submit before the deadline. Online claims must be in by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 28, 2026.
6. Prefer paper? Download the claim form from the settlement website or ask the administrator to send one at 1-800-870-5147. Mail it so it is postmarked by December 28, 2026.
7. Save your confirmation. Keep a screenshot or copy of your submission.

If you never got a notice, contact the administrator and ask to verify your eligibility before the deadline.

Your Options: Claim, Opt Out, Object or Do Nothing

File a claim. You get the $20 and give up your right to sue MDMC over the issues in this lawsuit.

Opt out. Submit a written exclusion request by November 25, 2026, following the instructions in the Long Form Notice. You keep the right to sue MDMC on your own, but you get no settlement benefits. Opting out can make sense only if you want to pursue an individual claim, ideally after talking to an attorney.

Object. If you stay in the settlement but think it is unfair, you may file a written objection with the court by December 28, 2026. You cannot object if you opt out. Follow the format and filing requirements in the Long Form Notice exactly, since defective objections can be rejected.

Do nothing. You receive no cash payment, and you still give up your right to bring claims covered by the settlement.

Attorneys’ Fees and Service Awards

Settlement Class Counsel may ask the court for up to $575,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs. The Class Representatives may request service awards of up to $2,000 each, or $4,000 total. MDMC pays these amounts separately, subject to court approval, and they do not reduce your $20.

When Will Payments Be Sent?

Payments are expected roughly 60 days after the court grants final approval and any appeals are resolved. Checks are void after 60 days, so cash or deposit yours promptly. The final approval hearing is on January 4, 2027, so payments are unlikely before spring 2027, and a delay is possible if the court does not approve the deal or if anyone appeals.

Is the $20 Settlement Payment Taxable?

It may be. The IRS generally treats settlement payments as income unless an exception applies, though a payment this small may not require special reporting on your end. Because tax treatment depends on your circumstances, ask a tax professional if you are unsure. The administrator, not this website, can confirm whether it will issue any tax form.

Is the Settlement Worth It?

That is a personal call. Twenty dollars is modest, and the lawsuit does not require you to prove you were harmed. For most eligible patients, filing a claim takes a few minutes and costs nothing. The enrollment code adds a privacy-monitoring service with real, if limited, value. Opting out only makes sense if you believe you have a stronger individual claim and are prepared to pursue it, which is usually costly.

How to Protect Your Privacy on Healthcare Websites

• Use a browser or extension that blocks third-party trackers when you visit patient portals.
• Read the privacy notice on your provider’s website and portal.
• Ask your provider in writing whether it uses third-party analytics tools on authenticated pages.
• Report concerns to the HHS Office for Civil Rights, or to the Missouri Attorney General’s office.
• Keep your notice, claim confirmation and any administrator emails.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Missouri Delta Medical Center Settlement

Who is eligible for the Missouri Delta Medical Center pixel settlement?

Living Missouri patients who logged into the MDMC Patient Portal between October 1, 2017, and December 31, 2022, and who appear on the Settlement Class List.

How much is the Missouri Delta Medical Center settlement payment?

A fixed $20.00 per approved claim, one per person.

What is the Missouri Delta Medical Center settlement claim deadline?

December 28, 2026. Online claims must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, and paper claims must be postmarked by that date.

Do I need a claim form to get the CyEx Privacy Shield code?

The code is provided on your notice, and activation is separate from the cash claim. File a claim for the $20 regardless, and check your notice for the activation steps.

Did Missouri Delta Medical Center admit it shared patient information?

No. MDMC denies all allegations and says it did nothing wrong. The court has not found it liable.

What if I did not receive a notice?

Call the Settlement Administrator at 1-800-870-5147 to verify whether you are on the class list and to obtain login credentials.

Can I still sue Missouri Delta Medical Center if I file a claim?

No. Filing a claim, or doing nothing, releases claims against MDMC related to the issues in this lawsuit. Only opting out by November 25, 2026 preserves your right to sue separately.

Does the settlement mean my medical records were exposed?

Not necessarily. The notice does not say exactly what data was sent for each patient, and a portal login alone does not mean your full records were disclosed.

When will payments be sent?

About 60 days after final approval and the resolution of any appeals. The final approval hearing is January 4, 2027.

Do my attorneys’ fees come out of my $20?

No. MDMC pays court-approved fees and costs separately.

Can I file a claim by mail?

Yes. Download the paper form from mdmcpixelsettlement.com or call the administrator, then mail it with a postmark on or before December 28, 2026.

Where can I get official documents?

The Long Form Notice, Settlement Agreement and Claim Form are on the settlement website at mdmcpixelsettlement.com/settlement-documents/.

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Sources and Verification

• Court-authorized Long Form Notice, Settlement Agreement and Claim Form, Missouri Delta Medical Center Pixel Settlement website: mdmcpixelsettlement.com
• Circuit Court of Pemiscot County, Missouri, Case No. 23PE-CC00038
• HHS Office for Civil Rights, Use of Online Tracking Technologies by HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates (Dec. 2022, updated Mar. 2024)
• American Hospital Association v. Becerra (N.D. Tex. June 20, 2024)
• 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164; 42 U.S.C. §§ 1320d-5, 1320d-6; 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510–2523; 16 C.F.R. Part 318
• Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 407.020, 407.025, 537.525, 542.400–542.422, 569.095–569.099; Missouri Supreme Court Rule 52.08

Information was verified against the settlement documents as of November 9, 2026. Deadlines and approval status can change, so confirm current details on the official settlement website or with the administrator.

About the author: Israr Ahmad is the founder and legal content researcher at AllAboutLawyer.com, where he researches class action settlements, consumer privacy and related legal topics from court records and official sources. He is not a licensed attorney.

This article is general legal information based on the court-authorized settlement notice and public records. It is not legal advice, and the author is not an attorney. For advice about your own situation, consult a licensed Missouri attorney.