[Med-privacy] Pharmacy Marketing Practices

[peter marshall]

Pharmacies Are Profiting At Your Expense =96 Your Help Is Requested

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) has been in the forefront
in asserting that pharmacies -- and their marketing partners, the
big pharmaceutical companies -- act improperly when using the
medical information in customer prescriptions to mail letters or
call customers in order to sell more drugs.

In the case of Albertsons, a supermarket powerhouse operating in
33 states that owned the Sav-On, Osco and Jewel-Osco pharmacies
(until recently sold), it proceeds with such programs without
customer permission while converting personal prescription
information into a highly sophisticated, retrievable database.
It does not inform the customer=92s doctor about what it is doing.

The database allows Albertsons to personally identify you by name,
telephone number, address and drugs prescribed.  This allows
communications to be sent based on your medical condition as implied
by the information in your prescription.  Albertsons developed a
highly profitable business in this way, filling more than 100 million
prescriptions a year, based on your confidential medical information
combined with your name and address.

PRC filed a lawsuit to put an end to these practices. It alleges
that Albertsons=92 activities in retrieving your confidential medical
information to sell more drugs by sending personally addressed
communications to your home, without your consent, violate your
privacy.

In fact, thousands of Albertsons customers received letters or
calls asking for the renewal of your prescription or suggesting
you try a new drug.  This may have occurred years ago with the
communication often designed as a =93refill reminder=94 from your
=93friendly family pharmacist=94.

If this happened to you or someone in you family, please let
us know. It could be very helpful to the outcome of the lawsuit.

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