Complaint Filed Against Walgreens for Endangering Patient Privacy

A consumer advocacy group has filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Health alleging Walgreens' Well Experience model causes illegal risks to public health and endangers the privacy of patient information, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal report.

Walgreens' Well Experience model has pharmacists at a desk in the public area to speak with patients. While the pharmacists are in the public area they use computers to supervise technicians filling prescriptions, according to the report.

A group of labor organizations that represent public and private workers named Change to Win filed the lawsuit against Walgreens alleging allowing supervision by computer is a violation of Florida law requiring direct pharmacist supervision of pharmacy technicians and staff, according to the report.

Change to Win also alleges Walgreens violates laws requiring healthcare providers to protect patient information by pharmacists leaving protected patient information unattended at desks in the public area.

Walgreens made presentations about the Well Experience model to individual members of Florida's Board of Pharmacy and staff before rolling it out, and pharmacy boards in other states have allowed Walgreens to use the Well Experience model, according to the report.

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