Criticism of the Department of Health is growing over its release of private prescription information on 3,300 patients to federal and state agencies, and from there to defense attorneys involved in a Volusia County drug case.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, fired off a letter to Surgeon General John Armstrong asking what the rules are for the release of such information. He said the Legislature may need to step in if the department's releases are too broad.
Meanwhile, one of the patients whose records were released has filed suit and is trying to get the data suppressed.