1 hr ago
Telehealth Companies Face Scrutiny Over Medical Data Practices
Telehealth websites let people get medical help and prescriptions quickly online.
But some regulators say certain companies have shared private health information without permission.
They also say some services automatically sign people up for subscriptions that are difficult to cancel.
Some websites may prescribe medicines after a questionnaire without a live conversation with a doctor.
This can be risky for medicines that require careful screening, such as GLP-1 drugs.
HIPAA protects information handled by many hospitals and doctors, but it does not cover every online health company.
The Federal Trade Commission is using consumer-protection rules to challenge some companies.
People can read privacy policies and use tools that reduce online tracking.
However, experts say consumers still have limited control over how their information is used.
The Federal Trade Commission accused Hims & Hers of deceptive practices involving data, subscriptions and medical consultations.
Similar FTC cases against BetterHelp and GoodRx alleged users’ health data was shared with Meta and Google without permission.
A study found fewer than one-third of nearly 50 telehealth companies selling GLP-1 drugs required real-time physician consultations.
HIPAA generally does not cover many direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms, leaving a federal privacy-law gap.
Experts recommend reviewing privacy policies, using ad blockers and private browsers, and carefully considering terms of service.
- Who
- The Federal Trade Commission, telehealth companies including Hims & Hers, and privacy and medical experts.
- What
- The FTC is scrutinizing alleged health-data disclosures, difficult-to-cancel subscriptions, and insufficient medical consultations by telehealth companies.
- Where
- Across online telehealth services in the United States.
- When
- In recent years, with the article describing the FTC’s latest lawsuit against Hims & Hers.
- Why
- Regulators allege that some companies used deceptive or unethical practices, while experts cite gaps in federal health-privacy protections.
Regulatory and Privacy Concerns
Industry Convenience and Defense
Health-data sharing
Regulatory and Privacy Concerns
Regulators and privacy experts say telehealth companies disclosed sensitive health information to platforms such as Meta and Google without adequate permission.
Industry Convenience and Defense
Hims disputed the FTC’s allegations, calling the lawsuit an effort to generate headlines at the company’s expense.
Speed of prescriptions
Regulatory and Privacy Concerns
Medical researchers say many services approve prescriptions within minutes without real-time consultations, potentially bypassing recommended screening and patient discussions.
Industry Convenience and Defense
Telehealth’s appeal is rapid, convenient access to medications without the delays of traditional appointments.
Consumer responsibility
Regulatory and Privacy Concerns
Privacy experts say consumers face an excessive burden to understand complicated data practices and often have little meaningful control.
Industry Convenience and Defense
Experts advise consumers to review user agreements, use privacy tools and decide whether to accept a service’s terms.
Key facts
- Main regulator
- Federal Trade Commission
- Company named in latest lawsuit
- Hims & Hers
- Other companies cited
- BetterHelp and GoodRx
- GLP-1 consultation finding
- Less than one-third of nearly 50 analyzed companies required real-time audio or video consultations.
- Privacy-law limitation
- HIPAA generally does not cover many direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms.
- Recommended precautions
- Review privacy policies, use ad blockers and private browsers, and consider declining terms of service.
Quotes
Andrew Crawford
Attorney with the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology
“There isn’t a clear federal law saying: ‘Don’t do this,’ There’s just a body of soft law and settled cases with the FTC that many companies probably aren’t even aware of.”
livemint.com
“There’s an entire universe of companies collecting huge amounts of consumer health data every day that aren’t covered by our current health sector-specific laws.”
livemint.com
Dr. Reshma Ramachandran
Yale University physician who led the analysis of telehealth GLP-1 providers
“What we saw overwhelmingly was that it was incredibly easy to get access to the GLP-1s. Most of the time, the prescription was automatically sent, without even an opportunity to stop the dispensing.”
livemint.com
Sources
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