Pharmacies Increasingly Offer Incentives to Customers Willing To Share Personal Health Data
Pharmacies increasingly are offering discounts and bonuses to customers who are willing to share their personal health data, such as daily change in weight, progress in smoking cessation and real-time location. Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy at the not-for-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, said the trend is "extremely concerning." He noted that consumers are giving up "very, very valuable" data and leaving themselves open to advertisements about specific medical conditions for modest discounts.
- "Money at Walgreens and CVS, a Push To Collect Customer Health Data by Dangling Discounts" (Robbins, STAT News, 11/23).