Pharmacies Shared Patient Records Without a Warrant, an Inquiry Finds

Pharmacies Shared Patient Records Without a Warrant, an Inquiry Finds
Short Title	Pharmacies Shared Patient Records Without a Warrant, an Inquiry Finds
Location	United States
Date	December 13, 2023
Solove Harm	Identification, Intrusion, Secondary Use
Information	Identifying, Medical and Health, Behavioral
Threat Actors	Pharmacies, Kroger, CVS, Rite Aid
Individuals
Affected	Pharmacy Customers
High Risk Groups	Medical Patient
Tangible Harms	Loss of Trust, Loss of Privacy, Inconvenience

Pharmacies have been sharing patient records to the government without a warrant and without telling their customers.

Description

Pharmacies have been getting tens of thousands of legal requests for patients' pharmacy records, and have been sharing patient records to the government without a warrant (secondary use, without telling their customers. Pharmacies are legally permitted to tell their customers about government demands regarding their data, but sadly that is not the case. They are also supposed to make sure that when legal requests are being made, that there is a warrant included. Hence, many Americans' prescription records don't have a lot of privacy protection, and it depends on which pharmacy is being used. This violates HIPAA, which is a federal law that required the protection of sensitive patient health information. Patient information can't be disclosed without the patient's consent. enforcement agencies to get a warrant to get access to medical records. This is also an act of intrusion and identification.

Laws and Regulations

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

Sources

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/13/us/pharmacy-records-abortion-privacy.html