A recent Telus international article explored the way big data and tech trends are changing the healthcare customer experience. Specifically, it explored how telemedicine, data driven medical care, the use of wearables and using this technology for clinical benefit, patient-centered care, and patient privacy issues and concerns about data security will transform the experience for both provider and patient.
Prior to the implementation of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, very little attention, if any, was paid to healthcare data privacy by patients. HIPAA, as well as frequent data security breaches has elevated the concepts of patient data privacy and security to the level of the consumer.
Ensuring that healthcare organizations put in place appropriate privacy and security controls is essential towards creating the type of environment that makes patients comfortable with sharing their healthcare data. Patients are interested in sharing their data as a recent Rock Health study shows, with 80% of respondents willing to share their healthcare data if it meant they would receive improved care, and more than 50% would share for discounts on premium insurance and for medical research purposes.