As the health care industry goes digital, it faces challenges regarding the security and privacy of patient information. The digital health care industry is growing rapidly. Medical professionals need to ensure stronger cybersecurity measures are implemented to make patients feel safe. This article will focus on topics regarding data privacy and the digitalization of the health care industry.
Remote Health Care 
This telemedicine service refers to the process of constantly monitoring the patient’s condition. It can also refer to the performance of control and preventive check-ups outside medical facilities. That’s possible through the use of mobile and wearable devices that are capable of measuring vital signs.
Printed biometrics sensors can be printed onto a thin flexible film and added to clothing. They can transmit vitals like heart rate, brain, and muscle activity via Bluetooth to a nearby device.
Results generated by these devices are then transmitted to remote medical care centers. If abnormalities show up, the medical staff will contact the patient and call an ambulance if necessary.
Online Doctor Health Checks
The digital healthcare industry takes the issue of data privacy very seriously to provide visitors security, privacy, and confidentiality. To protect patients, data is only collected when necessary. Here are the types of personal information collected during online doctor visits.
Collecting health care data is necessary to encourage efficient communication between patients and doctors. It also increases the overall quality of patient care by providing deeper insights into specific conditions.
Scams
Email phishing and telemarketer scams have become more common over the years. Many people fall victim to these crimes every year. When sharing data online, some find it hard to realize if it is their real doctor or just a scam.
Hospitals and doctor offices that use online health data sharing platforms must educate their patients on how to use the portal properly. They are also responsible for letting patients know how their systems work. Some doctors only use their digital website platform to communicate personal information.
Data Privacy – Is Our Data Safe?
Patients are now able to access their medical information through portal technology. This has been one of the biggest signs of progress in improving patient-provider relationships. However, this convenience comes with responsibility for the providers. They must protect portals from theft of medical records and unauthorized access.
Fortunately, tools are now available to help protect the patient’s data. Other industries such as the financial and banking services have pioneered identity protection over the years, and the healthcare industry is learning a lot by observing what worked for the other industries.
Healthcare leaders are now turning to other industries to find ways to streamline operational efficiency and boost the quality of customer care. Digitization, automation, and consumer-centric approaches result in a good business sense across the board. They are also sensible investments for strategies regarding data security.
Data to Doctors – Online Data Sharing 
Online data sharing makes things practical.
Providers must inform patients about data technology and how their success depends on sharing necessary information.
Additionally, doctors need to tell patients of the uses of their personal data in research and how this sensitive information is safe.
Over the years, research institutions have adapted to the changing norms in public behavior and understanding.
Data Sold to Third Parties
Even small pools of data from patients that have similar diseases are very valuable. A big drugmaker can pay large sums of money for data, services, and consulting from a third-party purchaser of health information. However, determining which stakeholders in the health care industry sell de-identified data is difficult.
There are several instances where data seems to come directly from a hospital, but the information reaches third parties through the EHR.
Is It Ethical for Doctor Offices to Sell Personal Health Data to Third Parties?
Security and privacy experts have been closely monitoring healthcare companies and their data-sharing practices. They’re also warning against patient data that can be for sale without consent. In the health care sector, HIPAA entities are permitted to share data as long as the data is de-identified.
This results in third parties being able to purchase de-identified data from sources legally. They will then re-sell the information they accumulated on the secondary market to make profits.
Conclusion
Since the advent of electronic health records, the passage of HIPAA, and their protection mandatory in the health care industry, securing stored sensitive data has become a top priority. The volume of this data continues to rapidly increase at a steady rate. This is why health care organizations need larger datastores to store data and get better protection for it.
Meet the Author
Ashley Foster is a graduate of Slippery Rock University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majored in Business Management and minored in Marketing. While Ashley was studying at SRU she found a passion for marketing. Although she is busy working, she spends her free time traveling and hiking with friends. She is also a volunteer for the American Marketing Association, Pittsburgh Chapter, and an active alumni member of FCCLA.
