I had an old physician colleague whose favorite hobby was bitching about EHRs, and one day told a story about…
Morning Headlines 2/6/20
VA’s Wilkie: EHR modernization unimpeded after Byrne’s removal
VA Secretary Robert Wilkie assures members of the press that the departure of Deputy Secretary James Byrne will not impact the department’s transition from VistA to Cerner.
Google Arm, Bain Lead $100 Million Infusion for Health-Data Startup
Patient registry analytics firm Verana raises $100 million and acquires data science company PYA Analytics.
Nearly 60 health systems sign off on a letter written by Epic CEO Judy Faulkner urging HHS Secretary Alex Azar to revise the proposed interoperability rules in light of their patient privacy concerns.
Consumer genetic testing company Ancestry announces it will lay off 6% of its staff, following a similar move made by competitor 23andMe several weeks ago.
I am all for a business making money. For some reason this headline rubbed me the wrong way. Nothing wrong with being a successful enterprise but I can’t help but think of what are likely thousands(?) of their members who have been denied or reduced needed coverage so the company can improve it’s bottom line.
Someone at CNBC has an axe to grind with Epic apparently. What an editorialized headline. How about this equally editorialized headline:
“Epic and about 60 hospital chains come out against rules that would make it easier for apps to access and sell your medical history, your family’s medical history, you complete identity including SSN, Medicare/Medicaid ID, and insurance member ID to advertisers, insurance companies, drug companies, fraudsters, and literally anyone else willing to pay for your data”
Is our collective memory that short that we choose to forget that the Zuckerborg was quite recently before Congress getting grilled about user privacy?
Re: the Zuck in front of congress, you forgot the part about no one caring. Was there even a blip in overall Facebook usage or new sign ups?
I almost wrote a follow up comment specifically digging into Facebook, but held off. You’re right, users have not meaningfully adjusted their behavior. I’m sure some people have deleted their accounts, but I assume most people continue to use Facebook after the CA scandal and even after Facebook has said they will allow targeted political lies on their platform.
To me, that’s a huge blow to the argument that “patients can just choose their apps”.
What would happen with the public discourse if Facebook came out in favor of the propsed rule because it would allow them easier access to you and your families medical record? Facebook then adds a new ToS all users mindlessly click through which gives them the rights to attempt to access your data?
If you come down differently on the philosophical debate as to whether the government should act to protect its citizens privacy/whether the government should be a “nanny state”, that’s fine. Just be careful what you wish for. If the proposed rule goes through, and some app maker or advertising platform suffers a breach, then they will likely suffer trivial consequences at worse and your complete identity and medical data will be on the internet forever.
Silicon Valley pretty clearly sees this as some kind of gold rush. These companies showed you who they were the first time when they lobbied HARD against GDPR in the EU and are lobbing just as forcefully against implementing similar protections in the United States. It is no surprise they are trying to advocate for unfettered access to medical data with zero liability for themselves, while disguising their efforts under the label of “dismantling data blocking and helping patients”.