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Saturday, July 11, 2009

Law - More on "Private data tossed in the trash by businesses trigger a crackdown"

Updating this ILB entry from April 3, 2008, quoting a national story which included:

In Indiana, the attorney general has filed 36 complaints with the state pharmacy board against 18 pharmacies -- including CVS and Walgreens Co. -- and 18 pharmacists for allegedly throwing personal medical information into the trash.
The Indianapolis Star reported July 10, 2009 that a settlement has now been reached. Some quotes:
Settlements were reached today between the Indiana Attorney General’s office and two pharmacy chains – CVS and Walgreens – to resolve data-breach complaints that customers’ medical information was improperly discarded in trash bins outside pharmacy stores.

Under the agreements, negotiated by the Attorney General’s office and representatives of the Indiana Board of Pharmacy, both CVS/pharmacy and Walgreen Co. agree to implement extensive employee training, management policies and detailed reporting to provide greater safeguards so that customers’ personal information will not be improperly disclosed.

Both proposed agreements were filed today and are scheduled for consideration by the Board of Pharmacy on Monday.

“By locking in new records-handling procedures, the agreements create a new level of protection for customers of these pharmacies that their private medical information will remain just that – private and confidential,” Indiana Attorney Greg Zoeller said in a statement.

The cases involved 10 CVS pharmacies and six Walgreens pharmacies in Indiana.

In 2006, Indianapolis television station WTHR (Channel 13) aired news segments about customers’ prescription records being discovered in outdoor trash bins where they could have been found and used to commit identity theft, although no actual consumer is known to have been victimized.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 11, 2009 05:10 PM
Posted to General Law Related | Indiana Law