Estate Planning

Rite Aid Settles with HIPAA for Privacy Violations

By David M. Goldman

A recent article by Tanya Roth reveals some shocking truths about our local drug store. Rite Aid is being held accountable for their employees' actions after an investigation by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) revealed privacy regulations were not followed. The chain of drugstores has reached a settlement with the Department of Health and Human Services and the FTC where they will pay damages of $1 million. Spurred by a television station's videotape, the investigation revealed Rite Aid employees dumping labeled medicine bottles and prescriptions into public dumpsters near their stores.

Since these medicine bottles contained the private information of customers, it was obvious Rite Aid was not abiding by the requirements protecting patient information under HIPAA privacy regulations. OCR confirmed that customer information and other private information was disposed of improperly including job applications. In addition to the $1 million they will have to pay under the settlement, Rite Aid is obligated to implement new training procedures and policies for monitoring internal operations. Nevertheless Rite Aid was not the only drugstore to be targeted by the OCR as last year CVS Pharmacy paid a much larger fine for HIPPA violations.

These violations of health care laws affect everyone but elderly citizens are more at risk because they are frequently in need of medications. Identity theft has been on the rise for many years and this crime is often the result of criminals sorting through dumpsters for any private materials you through away.

Full post as published by Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog on August 21, 2010 (boomark / email).