Patient data exposed after Walmart pharmacy break-ins

Will Center, director of health and wellness HIPAA compliance at Walmart, says some of the company’s pharmacies were recently affected by “widespread civil unrest” that resulted in the release of customers’ private information. In a letter to individuals affected by the breach, Walmart said it has not received reports suggesting that the exposure of information has been misused, and the company is continuing to assess the situation and work with law enforcement. The company did not reveal the number of people who received the letters. During the incidents, individuals broke into Walmart’s secured pharmacies by dismantling physical barriers and removed medications and other materials, including patient information printed on packages, labels, and other related documents comprising names, addresses, phone numbers, medication names and strengths, prescription numbers, and fill dates. Walmart says, “We sent this letter out of an abundance of caution. The intruders primarily stole prescriptions ready for pickup, which are medications labeled with patient name and medication information. It is our understanding these intruders were not targeting medical paperwork, electronic devices, data, or patient files.”