Amazon is in a fight for patient health data after a pharmacy industry player worked to block the e-commerce giant’s online pharmacy business, PillPack, from accessing the information, CNBC reported.
The fight, which has the potential to develop into a lawsuit, represents the growing threat of Amazon as it continues to step into the healthcare and pharmaceutical space.
PillPack, which Amazon purchased more than a year ago, receives comprehensive patient data indirectly from Surescripts to stay up to date on health and safety risks to patients, avoid duplicate prescriptions and keep up with refills. However, PillPack will soon be cut off from ReMy Health, a third-party contractor that supplies the crucial patient data, causing Amazon to consider legal action against Surescripts, according to CNBC.
“The current imbroglio shows the tangled nature of the pharmacy web, and how hard the incumbents are working to keep control over data and stem a competitive threat,” CNCB reported.
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."