Medical Privacy Threatened By ‘Big Data’
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RalfLott
Posts: 5,036 Member
http://www.vnews.com/Consumer-Confidential-Medical-privacy-threatened-by--big-data--5370836
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The future of the U.S. health care system will be influenced to a large extent by a company that makes weapons of war.
Defense giant Northrop Grumman has signed a nearly $92 million contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to build the second phase of a computer system that’s currently focused on reducing fraud but down the road will play a greater role in anticipating beneficiaries’ medical disorders.
It’s the most prominent example of how public and private insurers are spending millions of dollars on “big data” — using advanced technology to predict people’s future health care needs based on their interactions with doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, as well as information gleaned from other sources, such as social media.
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hmmmm... predicting future healthcare needs. Would that be for the purpose of prevention? Or for the purpose of profit?
Of course, in the US, "prevention" is a term that has been hijacked to mean "diagnosing a disease and taking medication for it as early as possible."7 -
this makes me glad I almost never go to the doctor in the first place4
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Prevention is truly a double edged sword for those of us who are/were health care providers. There is such a belief in the inevitability of disease and need for meds that preventive care is largely ignored or straight out pooh-poohed by our patients.
I WAS one of the rare practitioners who practiced preventive medicine, but it is very difficult when patients cannot get on board.
One of my most memorable patients was a Christian Scientist who had glaucoma associated with high intraocular pressures. I really didn't care if she smoked marijuana or took a prescription drug to lower pressures. The only way to preserve her sight would be with some sort of medical intervention which was contrary to her religious beliefs. She refused all measures and asked me one day why she should come back to me for followup. I told her "So you know what to pray for". She was a regular patient of mine until I moved to another base. I do not know what path her eye health care took after I left.
This is off-topic with regards to the original post, but is in response to responses.
I willingly participate in a DNA study that provides me and the Coriell Institute info regarding my risk for disease and responsiveness to medication based upon my individual genetics. While I have wonderful medical coverage as a disabled veteran and retired military officer, I do not think I would have participated otherwise. Too scary that private insurance companies could use this info to insure/not insure individuals. More scary to use less scientific info such as social media interactions, supplement purchase history, etc. YIKES!!2
