The increasing use of apps provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs is meant to improve access to patient health and benefits information in convenient digital platforms. However, members of Congress are worried that this electronic data is vulnerable. “When a veteran downloads an app from the VA’s app store, how much personal information does… Read More »
As the healthcare industry awaits a final rule on information blocking and enabling easier access to data by individuals, divisions are becoming more apparent between patients and individuals on the one hand and some portions of the healthcare industry on the other hand. The divide is posited as one of access or maintaining privacy, but… Read More »
Family physicians must balance treatment of patients with chronic pain against challenges faced by patients who have substance abuse issues. In both cases, patient privacy must be paramount to facilitate the free flow of information between patient and provider, the American Academy of Family Physicians recently told federal regulators. In a letter to Elinore McCance-Katz,… Read More »
A new study by the charity Privacy International (PI) claims that popular health websites in Europe routinely share users’ mental health information with advertisers, data brokers and large tech companies. The charity analysed more than 136 popular web pages related to depression in Germany, France and the UK, using the open-source tool webxray to identify… Read More »