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Aug 28, 2009 8:01 pm US/Central
Irving Man Upset About Pharmaceutical Mix-Up
IRVING (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Medical records are among the most confidential pieces of information for a person. In the wrong hands, that information could potentially be embarrassing, and a violation of privacy. But an Irving man became concerned when CVS Caremark made a big mistake.
Danny Eitel expected to see a letter from CVS Caremark that contains information about his prescription medications. What he did not expect to find was the confidential information of a woman in Tennessee. "I just opened the envelope, pulled out my letter, and there was another one attached," Eitel said.
The letter and mail order form contained the address, telephone numbers, e-mail address and ID number for Sara Green in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Eitel called CVS Caremark to inform them of the mistake. He was surprised, however, about the response he received. "He just didn't seem very caring," Eitel said.
The CVS Caremark employee admitted to the mistake. "I said, 'This is not just a mistake, sir, this is a very serious mistake. You've sent me someone else's information,'" Eitel recalled. He became concerned.
"The way this guy was provoking me on the phone," Eitel said, "this guy, I thought, you just don't care, do you? You just don't care."
And, according to Eitel, this is the second time that CVS Caremark made this type of mistake. And he is worried that someone out there may have mistakenly received his personal information.
CBS 11 News called Sara Green. "That's a violation of my privacy, really," she said. She plans to contact CVS Caremark as well. "I'm very concerned."
Green had been prescribed the medication Provigil. She has an ample supply, but in the wrong hands the drug can be dangerous. CBS 11 News consulted a doctor who prescribes the medication to his patients. "Provigil has a fairly low abuse potential, but it is a Schedule IV drug," said sleep medicine specialist Dr. Nabeel Farah, "so there is some potential for abuse."
In a statement, CVS Caremark said it has "extensive policies and procedures in place to help safeguard their customers' personally identifiable health information." The statement added that the company "takes any complaints very seriously."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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