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Health Data Access And Privacy Gaps
Coverage from Bipartisan Policy Center, Fierce Healthcare, and others
Articles
3
Active Days
560
The Topic
Federal health data rules are expanding patient access and record portability through APIs while leaving a major privacy gap for third-party apps that fall outside HIPAA. The main tension is between interoperability and weaker downstream data protections.
First Article: 03/11/20
Latest Article: 09/21/21
Summary
- Federal interoperability rules require API access to electronic health records and support broader patient data export.
- The main privacy gap appears after data leaves hospitals and insurers, where consumer apps may not be covered by HIPAA.
- Enforcement and accountability remain uneven, with penalties delayed and oversight shifting toward lighter consumer protection tools.
- Policy discussion repeatedly returns to the tradeoff between patient access and the risk of opaque app data practices.
- Health privacy legislation is being discussed as a way to cover data that moves outside traditional health-care privacy rules.
History
This topic is new, but as new articles are added to it this area will summarize shifts, changes and expansions of the issues.
Featured
03-30-2020
During the COVID-19 emergency in the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services issued interoperability rules and HIPAA waivers that expand electronic health data sharing and shift privacy risks to consumer apps.
03-11-2020
ONC issued a rule requiring EHR API access and banning information blocking, expanding patient data portability across US healthcare providers.
09-21-2021
Apple enables patient health data sharing with doctors via Health app and EHR integration in the United States.
Timeline: 560 Days
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