Weird that Google can acknowledge its crowdsourced medical advice was wrong, but escape penalties for doing it wantonly at scale.
Morning Headlines 5/17/16
Pfizer to Buy Anacor for $4.5 Billion
Pfizer announces that it will buy Anacor Pharmaceuticals for $4.5 billion, a 55 percent premium on Friday’s closing share price.
Giving New Doctors the Tools They Need
In a New York Times op-ed, a Harvard Medical School resident describes medical education as predicated on memorization and insufficient and outdated. He argues, “In an era of big data, Google and iPhones, doctors don’t so much need to know as they need to access, synthesize, and apply.“
Federal survey finds ‘troubling’ online behavior that could impact medical record sharing
A Census Bureau survey of 41,000 households finds that the recent uptick in data breaches across industries has made consumers shy away from online services over privacy concerns.
A study evaluating the accuracy of self-reported medical data shared on PatientsLikeMe compared self-reported multiple sclerosis diagnosis with claims data and finds that the information collected on the site was largely accurate.
I would prefer not to have any of my medical records in digital format and/or storage. Is there a mechanism to opt out?
Keith, find a private physician practice, who does not accept private or public insurance plans, and who documents using only paper charts. You’ll need to steer clear of coupons and discount cards for prescription medications, so choosing a homeopath who doesn’t keep digital records may be your best bet. Alternatively, try living in a poor country. The care you get will depend on the money you’ve got, but your digital privacy is assured. Finally, cease any and all internet use, including smartphones. Advertising companies using big data have a suprising amount of our health habits. God speed!!