Dive Brief:
- Consumers are excited about mobility and convenience, but concerns about medical data security are still large, according to a report released last week at the Forbes Healthcare Summit by PwC's Health Research Institute.
- One big finding, based on a survey of 1,000 US consumers, is that nearly 70% of those who responded say they are concerned about health data via their smart phones and 78% are concerned about medical data security in general.
- The report comes as millions more Americans are gaining health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Despite security concerns, PwC’s report indicates consumers are ready to take more charge of their healthcare.
Dive Insight:
While things like telehealth, mobile e-visits, and smart watches are exciting, and even may present opportunities for physicians to engage patients in their own healthcare, security worries are also growing.
Data breaches regularly make headlines, and the report noted that 68% of survey respondents said they were concerned about the security of data stored in smartphone health apps (and more than 65% of respondents said data security was more important to them than convenient access for imaging and test results, doctors' notes, diagnoses and prescriptions).
These concerns are only going to grow stronger, so medical organizations need to make sure they're following best practices and regulatory guidelines as they go deeper and deeper into the digital realm.
