Dive Brief:
- HIPAA privacy regulations are slowing the use of big data to improve patient care, according to a report by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
- As the report notes, getting consent from patients to use their data for clinical trials or observational research can mitigate privacy concerns; however, using 'opt-in' or 'opt-out' patieint data has historically resulted in bias.
- According to Esther Dyson, chair of the Health Initiative Coordinating Council, HIPAA has been applied too broadly, and often is used as an excuse not to move data from place to place.
Dive Insight:
There will always be tension between the need to protect patients' health data and the need to do research on care quality, cost and patient experience. It seems we're not yet at a point where we've struck the appropriate balance between the two. However, as the report recommends, state and federal legislation clarifying privacy practice could help provide clarity for both researchers and patients.