Pharmacies Compromising Patient Privacy: Police Access Medical Records Without Warrants

A congressional investigation has revealed that major pharmacy chains in the US, including CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid, hand over sensitive medical records to law enforcement without requiring a warrant. Some pharmacies even share this information without consulting legal professionals. Lawmakers are calling for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to revise health privacy laws to require warrants for accessing medical records. The pharmacies argue that they are not violating HIPAA regulations, but lawmakers believe that HHS should strengthen the regulations to align with privacy expectations and constitutional principles. They also urge pharmacies to follow the lead of tech companies in protecting customer privacy and to publish annual transparency reports.