Ross C. lived in Ohio. He had numerous health problems including an artificial heart implant.
One evening, Ross’s home caught fire causing $400,000 in damage.
When the police interviewed Ross about the fire, he gave inconsistent statements.
For one, he told police that after he noticed the fire, he packed some belongings in a suitcase and a few bags.
He then told police that he broke out the glass of his bedroom window with his cane.
Next, he threw the bags and the suitcase outside the window, then took everything to his car.
Detectives thought that a man like Ross, who suffered from several medical conditions, was able to do a lot in the short amount of time.
So, police got a search warrant for the electronic data stored in Ross’s pacemaker device.
The data included his heart rate and cardiac rhythms. All of this information was analyzed around the time of the fire.
A cardiologist reviewed the data and said it was highly unlikely that Ross would have been able to gather and move the bags.
He supposedly moved them from his bedroom window and carried the heavy items to his car.
The doctor said it was highly improbable he would be able to do these things in such a short amount of time with his medical conditions.
Ross was indicted on felony aggravated arson and insurance fraud for starting the fire.
I’m guessing that Ross, like many other Americans, believed that their health data was secure and safe from unwanted eyes.
But one of the most common ways law enforcement obtains data about a person is through their health information – specifically, via their pharmacy.
So, here are a few things you might want to keep in mind next time you get a prescription filled:
Mom & Pop:
The largest pharmacies in the U.S. (including Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart) do not require law enforcement to have a warrant before sharing medical records.
Many of these companies will hand over the records with only a subpoena.
So, next time you get a prescription filled you might want to consider a small-town mom-and-pop store.
Independent pharmacies may be more careful whom they share information with.
In addition, law enforcement would have to figure out which mom-and-pop store you use.
Conversely, there are thousands of Walgreens in the U.S.
If you’ve been to any one of them, it’s likely that your information can be accessed from any Walgreens, making it easier for someone to track you down.
No questions asked:
CVS and Rite Aid don’t require their pharmacy to consult legal departments.
If these stores receive a request from law enforcement, they make it a priority and hand over the information.
The employees are told to process the law enforcement requests in-store.
Depending on the pharmacy, prescriptions can be kept on file for over two years after they are filled.
In addition, medical diagnoses can be kept in their system for over ten years.
You should know what’s on your pharmacy file.
So, if you have ever taken medication or had a diagnosis that you don’t want to share…
Contact your pharmacy and ask for a copy of all your prescriptions they have on file.
You might never know who sees what:
The scariest part of law enforcement viewing pharmacy records is that you may never know about it.
Amazon pharmacy is the only big company that requires customers to be notified before police are provided their pharmacy records.
This does nothing to stop the sharing of the information, but at least customers know that their information was shared.
Now, while most Americans think their health data is secure from prying eyes, that’s far from the truth.
So, if you are in the market for a new pharmacy, you should ask about their privacy policies.
Find out if there is a way to be notified before any records are shared.
This way you can make an informed decision on where you want to get prescriptions filled.
Also, with the increase in online pharmacies it might be worth switching to a company where people might not even think to check for your records.
Plus, online pharmacies often have better prices than the big stores.
There are numerous strategies, tactics, and skills to keep you out of the prying eyes of law enforcement or anyone else lurking around.
