10-05-2014, 08:29 AM
As many of you are aware, Puna Pharmacy (Scripp's Hawaii out of Seattle) sold their business to Long's. I found this out last week when I went to refill a prescription and there was a sign on the door saying that "patient files have been transferred to Long's".
I went over to Long's and asked them to pull up my account, and there it was on their computer, all my prescription information. I was astonished.
No notice was given by Puna Parmacy and no consent was given by their clients to have their medical information passed from one business to another. This is the same thing they did with Pahoa Pharmacy a few years ago. I have two problems with this and I'm really peeved.
1. How can this not be a HIPAA privacy violation? I've tried to contact government agencies, but can't get anyone to call me back about it.
2. Now Long's has a monopoly on client prescriptions in lower Puna unless you want to drive to Hilo. This sort of predatory behavior is upsetting, especially when no patients from the now defunct pharmacies had any say so on where their prescription information went.
Am I the only one upset by all this?
I went over to Long's and asked them to pull up my account, and there it was on their computer, all my prescription information. I was astonished.
No notice was given by Puna Parmacy and no consent was given by their clients to have their medical information passed from one business to another. This is the same thing they did with Pahoa Pharmacy a few years ago. I have two problems with this and I'm really peeved.
1. How can this not be a HIPAA privacy violation? I've tried to contact government agencies, but can't get anyone to call me back about it.
2. Now Long's has a monopoly on client prescriptions in lower Puna unless you want to drive to Hilo. This sort of predatory behavior is upsetting, especially when no patients from the now defunct pharmacies had any say so on where their prescription information went.
Am I the only one upset by all this?