By MICHAEL MILLENSON
The latest draft government strategic plan for health information technology pledges to support health information sharing among individuals, health care providers and others “so that they can make informed decisions and create better health outcomes.”
Despite these good intentions, the current health data landscape has evolved significantly since the formation of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT two decades ago. The author points out that entities subject to federal HIPAA requirements are just the beginning, with a larger amount of health information being generated by non-HIPAA-covered entities and user-generated sources. The combination of data democratization and AI is leading to radical shifts in the content, capabilities, and control of health information.
A framework known as “collaborative health” is proposed to address these emerging realities of the AI age. This framework emphasizes shared information, shared engagement, and shared accountability to foster mutual trust and obligation in addressing the challenges presented by AI and data democratization.
Shared information involves not only traditional health data but also non-traditional inputs from wearables, sensors, and other sources. Shared engagement recognizes the increasing role of AI in healthcare and calls for transparency in AI use. Shared accountability considers the financial incentives and autonomy of patients in managing their health.
As the health information landscape continues to evolve, collaborative health offers a new partnership structure to navigate through these changes and potentially avoid counterproductive regulation or legal battles.
Michael L. Millenson is President of Health Quality Advisors LLC and a regular contributor to THCB. This piece originally appeared on the Bill of Health blog.
