Big news this week includes the merger of Walgreens with the smaller Rite Aid. I’ll leave the market/financial implications to others, but want to point out to readers that if you’re a current Rite Aid customer, you may want to have a talk with your pharmacist to find out what happens to your pharmacy records with this deal. I would guess that your records will be turned over to Walgreens as part of the deal, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing in terms of continuity of your care, but if for some reason, you don’t want Walgreens to have your pharmacy records, can you opt out? Ask. I suppose the firms could make the transfer of your PHI opt-in, but I’d be surprised if it actually happens that way.
Of course, the FTC and HHS may have something to say about all this, but I just wanted to give you all a heads up if you’re impacted by the merger.