This appeared yesterday.
- Updated Jun 1 2018 at 11:00 PM
Health insurers hopeful of My Health Record data access
Tyde founder Romain Bonjean with Tyde investor Dean McEvoy, believes the best way to approach the member is to ask directly for consent to access this personal data.
Private health insurance companies remain hopeful the federal government will reconsider a ban on them accessing sensitive data contained in the new digital My Health Record system, arguing they should not be lumped in with life and general insurers.
Health Insurers want access to anonymised data on a "secondary" basis, which would put them in the same group as parties conducting research, as opposed to primary users like doctors, who would access the records to inform health advice.
Nearly 6 million people already have a My Health Record, which can contain sensitive information on health conditions, pathology results and prescribed medication. This will extend to all Australians this year, unless they opt out.
The chief executive of peak body Private Healthcare Australia, Rachel David, said Health Minister Greg Hunt had agreed to discuss the framework with the sector.
Medibank Private chief medical officer Linda Swan says 'one of the tragic limitations' of the current My Health Record framework was that the government had 'bundled private health insurers in with all insurers'.
"We've had a meeting request from the Department of Health so we can move forward with the discussions about this," she said.
However, the government appears set on blocking all insurers from accessing the data as it looks to build a rapport with the public, emphasising it will be a good operator of the digital record, and allaying any concerns around big insurers using private information inappropriately.
A spokesman from Mr Hunt's office said the framework was "rock solid", adding that the meeting was "to explain the framework and its operation".
The private health insurance sector is arguing that it should not be grouped with life and general insurers, which are also subject to a ban, because they are unable to raise premiums on the basis of health status, age or claims history. This is known as community rating.
Customers 'happy to share'
"We cannot take on someone or give someone a higher premium based on their health status. That is the fundamental rule of community rating," said Ms David.
"We know from talking to our customers... that many of them would be happy to share health data with us as we would be able to offer them a broader range of health interventions," she said. "It's a win for them and a win for us."
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Tyde founder Romain Bonjean believes the best way to approach the member is to ask directly for consent to access this personal data.
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You really do have to stay alert to prevent misuse of your Health Data if you want a myHR (not sensible I reckon) but want a myHR for other reasons.
Have they not heard of asking for access? Let’s face it, health insurers are hardly planning to give you discounted insurance or a better deal on the basis of you providing access to your data and until they do I would simply say no!
It sure did not take them long to be on the case. I wonder do they know how incomplete and inaccessible most of the data is?
David.
3 comments:
If you read the secondary use report their use of de-identification only applies to health care recipients, not health care providers.
The start of Chapter 7 says: "Data re-identification is any process by which data is matched to its true owner after it has been released in de-identified form ..."
myhealthrecord.gov.au makes it clear that, from a copyright perspective and any ability to change the data, the owner of the data is the author, a health care provider, not the patient.
IANAL, but the report on secondary use looks very sus to me. I would have thought if you know when a patient went to see a particular specialist, or even a GP, then you could narrow down the data very quickly.
From what I know about Tyde (I rang them up and talked to them) they take a copy of your data and put it on their server in the cloud. You then get to read it using their app on your phone.
Assuming this is all legal, and I a have no reason to believe it isn't, then section 71 of the legislation comes into effect.
"71 Prohibitions and authorisations limited to health information collected by using the My Health Record system
(1) The prohibitions and authorisations under Divisions 1 and 2 in respect of the collection, use and disclosure of health information included in a healthcare recipient’s My Health Record are limited to the collection, use or disclosure of health information obtained by using the My Health Record system.
(2) If health information included in a healthcare recipient’s My Health Record can also be obtained by means other than by using the My Health Record system, such a prohibition or authorisation does not apply to health information lawfully obtained by those other means, even if the health information was originally obtained by using the My Health Record system.
..."
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00313
Page 61.
IANAL and do not know if it has ever been tested in court.
Talking about apps....
NPC Medicinewise have a free app for managing medications:
Does so much more than #myhealthrecord - and you don't give the gov't your data. Oh, maybe that's why ADHA has ignored it and tried to build something only half as useful? And I bet it didn't cost >$1.7billion.
"Using the free MedicineWise smartphone app means you will always have your medicines and health information with you. It can also:
* remind you how and when to take your medicines so you can get the most out of them
* help everyone involved in your health care to know which medicines you use so medicines mistakes are prevented
* help your doctor and pharmacist to check and review your medicines so they can make the right decisions about your health
* provide vital information about your medicines in an emergency, helping to ensure your safety.
Enter and update your information, and set alarms to remind you when to take your medicines."
https://www.nps.org.au/medical-info/consumer-info/keeping-a-medicines-list?c=medicinewise-smartphone-app-f58d5ec1
Maybe ADHA could set up a test bed to see which is a better solution for patients who care about these things.
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