Another Drugstore Chain Investigated

This Time, Walgreens Is Scrutinized on Privacy
Another Drugstore Chain Investigated
In the wake of settlements with drugstore chains Rite Aid and CVS over HIPAA violations, federal regulators confirm they're investigating Walgreens for similar incidents.

Like the Rite Aid and CVS cases, the Walgreens investigation stems from media reports, dating back four years, about prescriptions and labeled pill bottles being tossed in dumpsters behind stores, according to a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights. The office would provide no further information.

Rite Aid Corp. recently agreed to pay a $1 million fine and take corrective action to settle federal charges that it violated the HIPAA privacy rule and the FTC Act when some of its stores improperly disposed of prescription information in dumpsters.

The two federal agencies settled a similar case against CVS Caremark in February 2009. That settlement resulted in a $2.25 million fine.


About the Author

Howard Anderson

Howard Anderson

Former News Editor, ISMG

Anderson was news editor of Information Security Media Group and founding editor of HealthcareInfoSecurity and DataBreachToday. He has more than 40 years of journalism experience, with a focus on healthcare information technology issues. Before launching HealthcareInfoSecurity, he served as founding editor of Health Data Management magazine, where he worked for 17 years, and he served in leadership roles at several other healthcare magazines and newspapers.




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