Millions of Americans flocking through retail pharmacies to receive Covid vaccines have no choice but to hand over their personal information to those companies, and raise red flags for privacy dogs overseeing how pharmacies may use the databonanza to increase profit.
© Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A nurse practices a vaccination at the CVS pharmacy.
Pharmacy chains such as CVS Health, Walgreens, Rite Aid and others are playing an increasing role in the nationwide vaccination effort, as vaccines will be more widely available in the coming weeks. Although the vaccine itself is not a major money maker for the retailers, they were able to record data on new customers that could be valuable.
Many pharmacies require people to provide at least phone numbers or email addresses when booking an appointment. Some others – including Walgreens, Sam’s Club and parent company Walmart and Health Mart Pharmacy – require people to set up online user accounts before they can search their sites for still limited vaccine appointments.
The stores’ online appointment portals usually do not make it clear how the businesses will use the information provided by customers. Privacy watchdog groups and some members of Congress have expressed concern about whether the pharmacy chains will use that data for marketing purposes, such as selling ibuprofen or other products to deal with the effects of the shots. And they warn that less tech-savvy patients who search for appointments may unknowingly join pharmacist loyalty programs that could bombard them with unexpected marketing emails and texts.
“We do not want to see people in their desire to be vaccinated – and honestly protect themselves and their loved ones – exploited in any way,” said Andrew Crawford, a lawyer for the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Some prominent consumer rights organizations, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, sent a letter Friday requesting a group of Democratic state attorneys general to investigate how major pharmacy retailers use data from Covid vaccinations. They also pressure retailers to keep the information separate from marketing or business databases and to collect only the minimum amount of information required for vaccine appointments.
The administration of Biden is very popular at retail pharmacies and announced this week that they will double the number of pharmacy websites to more than double to 40,000 through Covid vaccinations via a federal program. Federal data shows that the sites are popular among Americans, who have become increasingly accustomed to annual flu shots at their local pharmacies. The White House did not respond to questions about pharmacies’ use of data from Covid vaccine appointments.
According to the pharmacies, the information they collect is important to get people vaccinated effectively and that they follow the privacy rules. Some privacy advocates point out that pharmacies have a wide space to collect and use client data, provided they do not exploit sensitive health information.
But consumer advocates say there should be stronger restrictions on the way pharmacies use Covid vaccination data, given the urgency of the health crisis and how difficult it is in many cases to find an alternative vaccination site.
The federal law regulating the use of patients ‘health information, HIPAA, prevents pharmacies from sharing customers’ health data for marketing purposes. But they can use the information to send out coupons and promote health services they already offer, such as examinations or flu shots. There are fewer restrictions on what they can do with the data if they include it through identifying details, such as names and contact information, possible to make decisions, legal experts said.
“I do not want to reject people’s privacy issues, but it just seems to be part of what pharmacies do on a daily basis,” such as reminders about flu shots and other services, said Trish Wagner, a private lawyer at Epstein. Becker Green.
‘As long as the outreach within the territory of the [HIPAA] privacy rule, they can achieve that outreach, ”she added.
Yet Doriann Cain, a partner at the Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath law firm, said things like mandatory online sign-ups to book or appointment appointments go beyond what pharmacies usually require for other services like flu shots, when people often just can drop by.
“The sheer amount of information they get is probably pretty valuable to them,” Cain said.
The pharmacies can not ask patients for vaccinations – the government covers the costs. However, they can pay the cost of administering vaccines by insurers and the government.
The bigger business for the companies seems to be the opportunity to set up repeat customers. During a revenue call in February, Jon Roberts, CV chief executive, described the company’s “opportunity with the vaccines” to turn newcomers into long-term customers, starting with the 15 minutes patients are expected to wait in the store after got a Covid shot. During the observation period, he said, employees in the store could try to sell patients at the company’s MinuteClinics for regular visits to health care and CarePass, its paid pharmacy membership service.
“We have their email, we have their text message, and we have the ability to communicate with them regularly,” Roberts said.
CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis said the company now uses Covid vaccination customer data only for confirmations and appointment reminders, but said the use of the information for marketing is an option for the future. CVS does not require vaccine seekers to create an online profile before they are ready to schedule an appointment. A phone number is required, but email is optional.
“What I can generally say about our patient programs is that they do subscription, so everything we do is with the consent of our clients,” DeAngelis added.
A Federal Trade Commission spokesman, who did not say whether the consumer protection agency is investigating how retail pharmacies use data from Covid vaccinations, said businesses could be investigated if they mislead customers about how their information is used.
“If companies tell consumers that they are only collecting for one purpose, they cannot use the data for another purpose,” the spokesman said.
Some lawmakers have recently introduced bills aimed at restricting companies’ use of data collected for the pandemic response, warning that efforts to fight the virus are hampered by people’s fears about how they may use their personal information. word. One of these measures, the Public Health Emergency Privacy Act, would restrict retailers’ use of vaccine planning data.
“Data should be used as intended, with public health agencies and technology companies using new digital tools to combat the spread of COVID-19,” said co-sponsor of the bill, Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.).
The federal government began sending Covid vaccines directly to retail pharmacies in early February, but negotiations on the arrangement began last fall under the Trump administration. Twenty-one national chains and independent pharmacy networks participate in the federal program, and states have also sent some of the doses they receive from the federal government to pharmacies. CVS and Walgreens also manage vaccination programs for long-term care staff and residents through an agreement signed with the Trump administration.
Concerns about how pharmacies may use customers’ data do not come into early contact with the federal government, said Mitchel Rothholz, chief of staff of the American Pharmacists Association, the industry’s largest trading group. At the time, he said, the biggest concern was whether pharmacies would use the data to represent their existing customers on vaccination slots, rather than drafting the guidelines by states, he said.
In some cases, vaccine seekers may feel encouraged to sign up at the pharmacies for customer accounts. Rite Aid, for example, does not require people to create an account to make an appointment, but the company notifies registered customers by phone if their health records indicate that they are eligible for vaccinations if unused doses are available. , a spokesman said. POLITICO.
Privacy experts said some retail pharmacies were better than others at separating vaccine appointments from marketing efforts. The grocery store chain Albertsons, on the verge of getting a vaccine slot, allows people to join in receiving Covid-related marketing information on vaccines or general marketing outreach, rather than registering it automatically.
Of the chains that require people to create user accounts before searching for an appointment, Walgreens and Health Mart let people enter their phone numbers and emails. Walmart and Sam’s Club did not respond to several questions about what data they collect and how it is used.
Read more