Leaders of some of the nation's top tech firms say protectionist cloud policies and Internet restrictions could undermine the potential of the data revolution. To that end, they call on policymakers to advocate the free flow of information across national borders -- and to pay special attention to nations restricting Internet freedom.
Government officials are reluctant to issue mandates on standards and interoperability for health IT devices and applications -- but advocates say that's exactly what healthcare needs to promote innovation and improve patient care.
HIPAA understandably makes it hard for organizations to obtain personal health information and even harder to use that information for the purpose of data analysis. Empowering patients to own and share their own data -- and then assuring them that it's being properly de-identified -- can ease this process.
Revelations that the United States government is monitoring Internet data from tech giants such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft should make your company reconsider where and how it stores data--all while realising that, at the end of the day, surveillance practices (usually) stay a secret for a reason.
Efforts to expedite the adoption of health information exchange in the United States face a bevy of technology, management and financial questions. There are no easy answers, since HIE organizations are as different as the regions, the populations and the healthcare providers they represent. But there are some lessons to be learned.
Companies such as Comcast and Time Warner don't think the United States is ready for -- or even needs -- gigabit Internet, but Google Fiber and a host of independent initiatives suggest that they are faster and cheaper.
The U.S. government is giving the healthcare industry billions of dollars in incentives to use electronic health records. Most organizations have EHR software in place, but as many as 35 percent wish they could switch systems. Are EHR vendors to blame, or are deeper forces at work?