As patient data because one of the healthcare industry’s most valuable assets, organizations are establishing new practices around accessing and handling data. In question is the practice of de-identifying patient data for widespread cross-organizational data collaboration without compromising patient privacy. But because deeper and richer data drives better clinical understanding and, ultimately, better outcomes, does separating patients from their health data and how it’s used give researchers and developers the best insights? Or do data users risk losing critical connection with the patients and insights into therapies their lives, disease, treatments, and deaths that contribute to new therapeutic approaches?
It’s time to consider a progressive approach to patient data that keeps the patients involved by informing them when and how their data is used to earn trust and engagement, making patients partners in data-driven healthcare transformation.