Under the recently proposed agreement, CVS Health is slated to pay $4.35 million to settle claims that it divulged protected health information of 4,500 Ohio residents regarding their HIV diagnosis. In March 2018, three unidentified plaintiffs filed a federal class action lawsuit in Ohio alleging that CVS Health revealed the HIV status of over 4,500 patients in Ohio. The Ohio AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) had a partnership with CVS Health where the company provided medication and handled related communications with ADAP participants. CVS Health mailed a letter that contained a reference code denoting the individual was an ADAP participant, which was visible through the clear window of the envelope. The lawsuit alleged that the clearly visible reference code on the letter “resulted in the potential or actual disclosure of recipients’ HIV status to numerous individuals, including their families, friends, roommates, landlords, neighbors, mail carriers, and complete strangers.”
Last Updated on May 15, 2020 by Aimed Alliance
