Tech Giants Battle for Control of Unlocked Digital Health Records
New federal data-sharing rules unleash an unprecedented wave of healthcare data access, sparking a fierce competition between Apple and Google. Patient advocates worry that moving sensitive medical information into consumer tech apps strips away vital privacy protections.
New federal data-sharing initiatives from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology unlock an unprecedented wave of patient data access in the U.S. healthcare system. As these rules open the floodgates, venture capital investors pour billions into roughly 4,500 healthcare startups, with digital health companies capturing 31% of all industry deals so far this year.
Apple and Google currently jockey for control over how this sensitive information serves patients and practitioners, but they pursue two very different paths. Patient advocates strongly favor Apple's approach, warning that the moment medical data hits consumer tech apps, it loses HIPAA protections and patients lose their privacy rights.
Google's controversial handling of patient records recently comes to light after a whistleblower leaks details of a massive partnership with the Ascension hospital network. The Alphabet subsidiary moves millions of patient records into its cloud infrastructure and develops new tools to give doctors a consolidated view of patient information, raising serious questions about data security and corporate oversight.