Patients Allege Home Delivery Pharmacy Failed Timely Notification of Data Breach

pCLINICAL ROLE ppPublicationppArticleppPharmacy TimesppAuthorsppFailure to quickly notify patients could result in significant harm ppIn January 2021 a nationwide mailorder pharmacy located in Massachusetts experienced a data breach The pharmacy discovered the breach in May 2021 and investigated to determine its scope Personally identifiable information PII including names and Social Security numbers for more than 75000 customers was breachedppImage credit neirfy stockadobecomppIn February 2022 9 months after the initial discovery and 13 months after the breach the pharmacy began notifying customers of a breach in its computer information The notification indicated the pharmacy had undertaken a comprehensive and timeintensive review of the contents involved in the breach and said the pharmacy currently has no evidence that any information has been misused The notification provided customers with information about how they could help protect their personal information but did not offer customers any compensation for credit monitoringppJim Ruble PharmD JD is executive associate dean and professor in the University of Utah College of Pharmacy in Salt Lake CityppTwo plaintiffs a customer in Ohio and a customer in Georgia filed a class action lawsuit alleging failure of the pharmacy to detect and report the breach in a timely manner They alleged that this resulted in lost value of their PII damages from prevention detection recovery from identity theft tax fraud and other unauthorized use of their PII lost opportunity costs to mitigate consequences of the data breach and emotional distress The Ohio plaintiff experienced identity theft and misuse by a third party who filed a tax return in the plaintiff s name The Georgia plaintiff alleged she was not provided specific details about what types of information were accessed and subsequently expressed fears for her financial securityppThe defendant pharmacy filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit challenging the plaintiffs legal standing based on a lack of actual or imminent injuryinfact The pharmacy asserted the filing of a false tax return was not fairly traceable to the pharmacys purported wrongdoing The district court granted the defendant pharmacys motion to dismiss based on a lack of concrete and particularized injuries that are actual or imminentppUpon the plaintiffs appeal the First Circuit Court of Appeals held the allegations did provide sufficient traceability and redressability elements to create legal standing reversing the dismissal and remanding the case back to the District Court In January 2025 a settlement agreement between the parties was approved by theppDistrict Court The plaintiffs were awarded attorneys fees expensesppand service costs and the settlement agreement includes a fund ofpp1075 million with a cap of 5000 per class memberppStay informed on drug updates treatment guidelines and pharmacy practice trendssubscribe to Pharmacy Times for weekly clinical insightsppLung Transplant Recipients at High Risk of Secondary Lung Infections PostInfection With SARSCoV2 Omicron VariantppPharmacy Focus Navigating Seasonal AllergiesppStudy Evaluates Impact of Dietary Acid Load on Weight Loss in Vegan and Mediterranean DietsppPharmacists Can Be At the Forefront of CardioKidneyMetabolic Managementpp21Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Exhibits Consistent Safety and Immunogenicity Across Manufacturing LotsppStudy Sheds Light on Impact of Vaccination Infection on AntiRSV IgG LevelsppLung Transplant Recipients at High Risk of Secondary Lung Infections PostInfection With SARSCoV2 Omicron VariantppPharmacy Focus Navigating Seasonal AllergiesppStudy Evaluates Impact of Dietary Acid Load on Weight Loss in Vegan and Mediterranean DietsppPharmacists Can Be At the Forefront of CardioKidneyMetabolic Managementpp21Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Exhibits Consistent Safety and Immunogenicity Across Manufacturing LotsppStudy Sheds Light on Impact of Vaccination Infection on AntiRSV IgG Levelspp2 Commerce Drive Cranbury NJ 08512pp6097167777p