Federal courts could shape drug-database access and privacy balance

Modern Healthcare: A drug-trafficking investigation involving a Utah physician has privacy implications that could affect access to prescription drug record databases across the country.

The Drug Enforcement Administration believes a Utah physician may have ties to an international drug cartel, and it wants access to the state's prescription drug monitoring program to continue its investigation. But Utah is one of a few states that requires law enforcement agents to obtain a warrant before they scour prescription drug records in the database, and the DEA is refusing to play ball.

Read article