As of this writing, Walgreens plans to acquire Rite Aide in a move that would combine the nation’s second- and third-largest drugstore chains by market share, behind only fierce rival CVS Health. If this acquisition is approved, Rite Aide customer data will need to be assimilated into Walgreens’ information systems. For pharmacy customers, this includes sensitive information, such as personal data, details of medications prescribed, health insurance identification codes, and doctors used. Walgreens will need this data to provide smooth and uninterrupted service to the old Rite Aide customers. In addition, Walgreen has in place a system that automatically checks each new medication prescribed against other medications the customer is taking to ensure there will be no adverse drug interactions. The data must be captured in such a way that ensures its accuracy and completeness. FIGURE 3.22 The big data life cycle A policy-based approach to managing the flow of an enterprise’s data, from its initial acquisition or creation and storage to the time when it becomes outdated and is deleted. BIG DATA LIFE CYCLE Archive or discard Define data needs Evaluate alternate sources Evaluate Acquire data Store data Publish data descriptions Access and use data lifecycle management (DLM): A policy-based approach to managing the flow of an enterprise’s data, from its initial acquisition or creation and storage to the time when it becomes outdated and is deleted.

Review Questions

1. Identify specific federal regulations that apply to the use and management of Walgreens and Rite Aide data.

2. Would it make sense for Walgreen to appoint a data governance team to oversee the Rite Aide data assimilation process? What might the responsibilities of such a team be?

Critical Thinking Questions 0

1.       Do you think that Walgreens should attempt to automate the process of assimilating Rite Aide customer, insurance, and medication data into its systems? Or, should Walgreens design an efficient manual process for former Rite Aide customers to provide the necessary data prior to or on their initial visit to a Walgreens pharmacy? What are the pros and cons of each approach? Which approach would

2.       you recommend? 2. Identify several potential negative consequences resulting from poor execution of the data assimilation process.