And if you have ever signed up for one of those pharmacy discount cards - you just waived all of your rights to privacy about what medications you are taking and for what conditions.
Read the "fine print" on those signup agreements.
There are a number of other conditions where HIPPA restrictions have limited or no effect. Avoiding naming of the patients is one of them. Reliance on HIPPA for protection from disclosure of adverse information is a dicey proposition.
Remember: "Anything you say can be used against you" (and not just in a court of law).
Same thing for any type of ‘loyalty’ card. I purchase most OTC items at my local grocery store. Most times they're on sale so to get the sale price I have to use my loyalty card. Lo and behold, within a few months I'm getting coupons in the mail to purchase the same product or a different one from the same brand.
Last year, I purchased some hand sanitizer that was made in Mexico. Slowly, they started recalling various brands that were made in Mexico. I received notification from the company that I had purchased some that had been recalled. Only way they knew was my loyalty card was scanned during the purchase.
Just using a debit/credit card can put personal privacy in jeopardy.