By Eric V. Holtzclaw

The GDPR (General Data Privacy Regulation) passed in the European Union (EU) in May of 2018 and is one of the most popular topics of discussion amongst businesses who may or may not conduct business on an international level. Time and time again, businesses and even media publications have stated that GDPR isn’t important to them, simply because they’re either “not affected” or “not governed” by these regulations.

Many hold the perception that GDPR only applies to those in the EU, or those who manage business directly in the EU.  There is a misconception that the GDPR does not apply to businesses who do not offer goods or services to EU consumers, or process personal EU data.  However, in all these scenarios, the GDPR rules and regulations still apply. 

 

Here are three of the most common misconceptions about GDPR and businesses:

1. My Organization Does Not Process EU Personal Data

One of the first misconceptions about GDPR results from an organization’s belief that they do not process personal data from the European Union. However, many people do not understand the full scope of the GDPR definition of personal data.  The definition as allocated in the GDPR defines personal data as “anything that can directly or indirectly identify a natural person.”  This is in reference to any identifier such as name or identification number, location data or any online identifier such as IP address. Additionally, many fail to realize the definition of processing as defined by the GDPR actually applies to any set of operations performed around data.  This includes collecting information on customers, recording, alteration, retrieval of this information, consultation, use, erasure or destruction.  Combine the far-reach of modern technology and the number of people living abroad, there’s likely information stored somewhere that affects EU citizens. [Read more…]

By Florian Quarre 

In healthcare, gaining a comprehensive view of a patient’s health data is hard to achieve, in part because of the complexity involved in aggregating comprehensive medical records. Most hospitals use some form of electronic medical records (EMRs), but how those records are used, whether they are easily shared inside and outside of the hospital, and how they are aggregated across organizations remains a challenge.

Too often there’s a tangle of fragmented information silos, EMR vendors, coding standards and technical constraints. However, advances in health data technology are starting to solve interoperability concerns once and for all.

To better understand the complexity of the task, take EMR vendors as an example. While the ten largest EMRs hold roughly 60 percent of all medical records generated, the remaining 40 percent are divided among hundreds of smaller EMR vendors. Some hospitals use more than one EMR system, which means acquiring a single patient’s health data from just one hospital could require multiple EMR vendor connections. Even for those hospitals and providers using the same EMRs, there are no assurances that the same versions are in use, which leads to inconsistent records.

Then some of the systems allow for either a complete or just a partial access to the record. And finally, no matter what systems are in play, most of the records returned will be delivered as a printout for download, which prevents any form of immediate information querying and data analytics.  [Read more…]

By Ari Naim

A new Moody’s Investor Service report predicts the healthcare industry of the future will rely heavily on outpatient care – a shift that underpins the evolving standards of care needed in both traditional hospitals and outpatient facilities.

The report explains that traditional hospital bed space will be dedicated strictly to chronically ill, high-need patients. As such, the demand for outpatient services will increase exponentially, as it will be utilized for less severe health issues that arise more frequently. This forecasted transformation is a response to the growing dilemma of nursing and physician shortages. By approaching outpatient services with this end goal in mind, there are investments to be made that could potentially deliver greater efficiencies at a lower cost, while also improving access to physicians.

In order to create an outpatient care experience that meets this growing demand and improves care quality, it’s critical that the healthcare industry adopt even more technological solutions that help to facilitate the entire process. [Read more…]

In the wake of the recent Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, data and personal privacy matters have come to the forefront of consumer’s minds. When an organization like Facebook falls into trouble, big data is often blamed, but IS big data actually at fault?  When tech companies utilize and contract with third party data mining companies aren’t these data collection firms doing exactly what they were designed to do? 

IBM markets its Watson as a way to get closer to knowing about consumers; however, when it does just that, it is perceived as an infringement on privacy. In lieu of data privacy and security violations, companies have become notorious for pointing the finger elsewhere. Like any other scapegoat, big data has become an easy way out; a chance for the company to appear to side with, and support the consumer.  Yet, many are long overdue in making changes that actually do protect and support the customer and now find themselves needing to attempt to earn back lost consumer trust. Companies looking to please their customers, publicly agree that big data is the issue but behind the scenes may be doing little or nothing to change how they interact with these organizations. By pushing the blame to these data companies, they redirect the problem, holding their company and consumers as victims of something beyond their control. 

For years, data mining has been used to help companies better understand their customers and market environment.  Data mining is a means to offer insights from business to buyer or potential buyer.  Before companies and resources like Facebook, Google, and IBM’s Watson existed, customers knew very little about their personal data.  More recently, the general public has begun to understand what data mining actually is, how it is used, and be aware of the data trail they leave through their online activities.  [Read more…]

By Adam Darkins

Future-Proofing Primary Care

Primary care is the linchpin for the transformation of health care services for aging populations of patients with high incidence/prevalence of chronic conditions eg, obesity, diabetes, heart failure, and anxiety/depression. Services that were previously physician centric are now pivoting toward primary care team (PCT)-based care for patients in the least restrictive settings. PCPs are adept at individualizing care in the most appropriate setting. But, ever more complex treatment options, and informed patients expecting equal participation in care decisions, have increased the number and complexity of primary care referrals to specialty physicians. In order for primary care to meet patient expectations of accessing the right care, in the right place at the right time, health systems must establish more robust primary-specialty care connections.

Extending the PCMH Model with Technology

PCMH is an evidence-based, patient-centered care model that supports patients with complex needs in non-institutional settings.  It fosters patient engagement, self-management and care coordination by interdisciplinary teams when holistically addressing biopsychosocial issues that would otherwise result in avoidable emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Specialist physician input often needs feeding into primary care team (PCT) deliberations so diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis can be fully factored into the broader care management process. For PCTs to assure access to high quality, comprehensive, patient-centric and coordinated care, they have to be able to communicate across the care continuum and “in-reach” into specialty care. New health information and communication technology projects make this is possible. But can they routinely deliver “at scale”, and to underserved populations? [Read more…]

By Kam Reams

As a knowledge-driven industry, health care relies on steady access to information to enable accurate decision-making and drive rapid problem-solving. Yet health care professionals are often overwhelmed with the volume of new information and are challenged to incorporate it into their daily work, if it has not been explicitly curated.

Accordingly, the need for knowledge management in health care is greater than ever, especially amid exponentially increasing amounts of data, regulations, and clinical and non-clinical information that health care professionals must consume. For nearly three decades, knowledge management, the process of creating, managing, sharing and using information to drive organizational objectives, has been recognized as a distinct part of business strategy in health care.

How and where does your organization stand with its knowledge management program? Have you assessed the current state of knowledge management in your organization and determined your goals for a future state program? The following steps will help you determine the best path forward for improving your existing or implementing a new knowledge management program.    [Read more…]