Doctor-Patient Privilege?

A Pennsylvania man was admitted to a hospital to treat an irregular heartbeat. While there, he told doctors he on average drinks a six-pack of beer a day. And then...

Emerich received a notice from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in April that his license was being recalled effective May 6 for medical reasons related to substance abuse. He has petitioned a judge to restore the license, and a hearing has been set for July 29...

...The law requires an indefinite recall of the license until the driver can prove that he is competent enough to drive.

"They want me to go to counseling to prove that I'm OK," Emerich said."I tried to go to a place ... and they wanted $250 for a three-month program."

The odd thing here is that many parents can't access their own childrens' health care records anymore, due to ridiculous HIPAA privacy regulations. But reporting a patient's drinking problem to the DOT is apparently kosher.