Anyone familiar with HIPAA?
 

So I went to a new pharmacy by my house today to pick up some insulin syringes and pen needles. Anyway, I've already transferred my scripts over to this place but I was there to pick these up without insurance coverage and was paying cash. The lady walks me out of the pharmacy with syringes in hand and plops them down at the front store register in front of a ton of people.

Now I personally know I'm not a heroin user, but other people don't know that. It was super embarrassing. I've had type 1 for nearly 20 years now but that stigma never goes away. My question is...was this a breach of HIPAA in anyway? I'm not even sure, considering it wasn't covered by insurance.

Did they say your full name and/or diagnosis?

Regardless of whether you paid for it or insurance paid, you are still their customer and their patient and they should treat you with the same guidelines and policies used for everyone else. That being said, I do not think this is a true HIPAA violation. Many pharmacists/technicians remove the containers at checkout to verify the medication is the same as what was ordered before handing them to the patient. However, you have the absolute right to complain to the pharmacist on duty. I would too.

Good points you guys. No they didn't say why I was purchasing needles which is such a catch 22 in that situation. I shouldn't care what other people think but that definitely would have been the breach of HIPAA there if they did (Which also coincidentally would have put me more at ease). I'll let bygones be bygones, it's Christmas eve and I'm brand new to this place. I'll keep an eye out and see if it's a habitual thing. Thanks guys.

Sharing your name and/or medical history to the public would be a HIPAA violation. In this case, it's just poor professionalism. The pharmacist might have been upset that she had to work Christmas eve, but that's no excuse. I would have said something

No thx

Damnit Hurb, why you so mad all the time?

No violation done here. I can *kind of* see why you'd be bothered though.

u could have played it off like u were a gansta like gaffin and been alright