Give Consumers and Patients the Power to Manage Their Data

Facebook parent company Meta was hit with a class action lawsuit late last week alleging the big tech company has been collecting sensitive patient-status data through hospital websites in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The trend is clear: People are demanding greater leverage over how their data is being used, and the private and public sectors are taking notice. The days of big tech organizations collecting consumer data and using it without their consent are numbered. At ShareMy.Health, we’re built on consumer-directed sharing. The individual controls what specific health care information can be shared, with people and organizations they trust, for a specific time. At ShareMy.Health, our platform is private and trusted, founded on two guiding principles.??

Transparency

It’s essential to give people a reason to want to share data or, at the very least, be completely upfront about why it’s needed. For example, a company may need a medical credential improve the safety and wellness of attendees at a tradeshow. Maybe their data is necessary to advance the greater good, like during a public health crisis. Other times, compensation should be rewarded for data access. Clearly and boldly explaining why the data is necessary and how your patient or consumer will benefit — whether directly or indirectly — may increase the likelihood of authorization compared to a pop-up request form with a laundry list of legal jargon.

Simplification

Easier is always better. And when consent is the only barrier to getting requested data, that process should be as frictionless. For businesses that need to acquire data produced by regulated industries like healthcare, consumer-directed sharing is much more efficient than making a data request to a provider. A consumer can quickly give consent to see the records, which tells the healthcare provider that they can share these documents without violating HIPAA regulations. The consumer also can delete or manage those records when she feels it is appropriate. When a business must make the request directly to the provider, the process slows dramatically because the provider now must request records from the patient.

Organizations can transform a historically arduous process into one that’s more efficient, manageable, and cost-effective by initiating consumer-directed sharing in a private, secure, and safe environment. We are entering into an era where the balance of power between companies, providers and patients is shifting. Consumers have more access to their own health care data, and organizations that embrace this shift and support it are likely to find themselves in a much better position than those that don’t.

For more information, contact me at [email protected]