4 ms·
Several years ago, I worked as a data scientist for Express Scripts, before it was acquired by Cigna. I can't much speak to the macroeconomics of PBMs, but I ca
by ProjectArcturis 2y ago
Several years ago, I worked as a data scientist for Express Scripts, before it was acquired by Cigna. I can't much speak to the macroeconomics of PBMs, but I can say that they were the worst technical organization I ever worked for. They were built out of mergers on top of mergers on top of acquisitions, so their IT systems were what you get when you duct tape a dozen legacy systems together.
I worked in the "Innovation Lab", which had been designed to look like an ad agency's idea of Innovation -- brushed metal, Edison lightbulbs, that kind of thing. They'd bring clients through on tours to show off how much Innovation was going on. Meanwhile, I didn't really have that much to do, and no one seemed very concerned about that. Soon I realized I was also part of the decoration - a genuine Data Scientist, hard at work Innovating.
Our group produced approximately nothing. Our boss's boss was evaluated mostly based on how much he was able to sell people's medical data for.
- albroland 2y agoNot sure if you'll take it as reassuring, or alarming, but having worked with a few PBMs on the insurer side ES was the most tech-competent. Worst probably being CVS Caremark.
- rancar2 2y agoMy experience with ES in the 2010s is that they ran a very barebones staff so the people keeping the lights on were quite good and some of the best among my Fortune 500 clients. I had the pleasure of training their staff on my stack expertise as they did not want me to just do the work, they wanted to make sure they were experts at the end as well so they could support and evolve the stack overtime.
- lifestyleguru 2y agoLast time I made blood test it really pissed me off why their forms require national ID and phone number. The nurse in turn was pissed at me why I'm reluctant to write down phone number.
- sofixa 2y agoIdk how it works where you are, but blood tests I've done in France require your phone number or email address for a notification and MFA when logging into the blood testing laboratory's platform to get your results. The National ID I'd presume is to put the test results in the relevant healthcare systems so that your doctors (and only them) can have access to them.
- lifestyleguru 2y agoExactly, also phone numbers are coupled with national ID and medical IT systems are leaky and outsourced into oblivion. In that case they didn't provide alternative to send link over email. Later on test results with full personal info can be acquired in darknet and Russian speaking internet [1]. Are there any consequences? The authorities advice to "be careful" and the service provider says "they're sorry". [1] - https://www.gov.pl/web/baza-wiedzy/hakerzy-ujawnili-kolejna-czesc-danych-wykradzionych-z-alab-laboratoria--sprawdz-czy-twoje-dane-zostaly-upublicznione https://www.gov.pl/web/baza-wiedzy/hakerzy-ujawnili-kolejna-...
- the_other 2y ago> sell people's medical data for Why isn't this illegal?
- colejohnson66 2y agoHIPAA can be “waived” by signing the medical release forms you didn’t read.
- giancarlostoro 2y agoLast I ever read something on a form that concerned me it seemed worded like “your insurance might not cover your stay if you dont disclose this information” and I ignored that and just let it be. I wonder if thats how they trick people into it. It should be illegal for anyone to sign anything that has the possibility of their data being sold without being made aware of this in plain English “WARNING YOUR DATA COULD BE SOLD IF YOU SIGN THIS”. I dont trust ad companies not to screw up my PII.
- ProjectArcturis 2y agoBecause there is a large industry based around sharing medical data, and that industry has lobbyists.