Sharing Personal Health Data in the Digital Age
<p>While the benefits of digital health information exchange are widely touted, many patients worry about the safety of their personal medical data: How widely will it be shared? Can it be hacked? If such concerns prompt people to withhold data from their electronic records, physician treatment—and patient health—could suffer.</p><p>In his op-ed in <em>Milbank Quarterly</em>, Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D., explores this thorny issue. He suggests strategies to increase patients’ comfort level, like creating secure environments and educating people on the risks and benefits of sharing health data.</p>
<p>Ultimately, Blumenthal says, it is up to the individual to decide. “Patients own and should control their health care data and have no obligation to share information that they prefer to withhold."</p>