SAN ANTONIO – Pharmacies and doctors are legally bound to safeguard your prescription records, but some of that information can still be shared and used in ways you might not expect.
When you apply for life insurance, disability benefits or long-term-care insurance, it’s likely an insurance company hired a reporting agency to analyze your medication records and score your health risks. And it’s fully legal.
Consumer Reports says it’s important that the information they know about you is accurate.
“In the same ways we think about credit reports, there are three reporting agencies that collect your prescription history, and they keep a tally of all the prescriptions you and your family members take,” said Consumer Reports’ Lisa Gill. “So every year, ask for a free prescription history from one of the agencies.”
Those agencies are Exam One, Milliman IntelliScript, and the Medical Information Bureau.
Who else is using your info? Pharmacy chains are legally allowed to remind you about refills, but they can also send you promotional email for new medicine similar to the ones you take.
Consumer Reports suggests opting out of pharmacy reminders and ads if you have the option.l
Also, joining a drug discount program can open the door to marketing and more phone calls.
There are others who might be legally sharing some of your prescription data, as well.
A lot of hospitals and doctor’s offices remove your name from your prescription history before sharing it with marketing or drug companies, according to Consumer Reports. If you don’t want this to happen, ask your doctor to opt-out of having your information used this way.
And remember to keep your pill bottles and receipts private.
Medication records can also be a gold mine for criminals who may use them to get drugs illegally or file false insurance claims. So CR says think twice before allowing credit card numbers and especially Social Security numbers to be included in the office records of your pharmacy or doctor.