Patient disempowerment through the commercial access to digital health records

In this article, I consider how patients are disempowered through the commercial access to their health data in the United States. I examine two healthcare information technology bills that ostensibly give patients access and control over their health records. However, I contend that, since these re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health (London, England : 1997) England : 1997), 2019-07, Vol.23 (4), p.385-400
Main Author: Ebeling, Mary FE
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Data
Electronic Health Records - organization & administration
Empowerment
Female
Health Policy
Health services
Health Services Accessibility - organization & administration
Humans
Information Dissemination - legislation & jurisprudence
Information technology
Male
Medical Informatics - organization & administration
Medical records
Medical technology
Needs Assessment
Ownership
Patient Participation
Patients
Policy Making
Social Media - organization & administration
United States
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Summary:In this article, I consider how patients are disempowered through the commercial access to their health data in the United States. I examine two healthcare information technology bills that ostensibly give patients access and control over their health records. However, I contend that, since these regulations were drafted, in part or in whole, by corporate interests represented by healthcare lobbyists, policymakers use the rhetorical device of patient empowerment to allow for the commercial access to patient data, which ultimately disempowers patients. This is because in both bills the asymmetrical relationship to patient data remains the same: patients do not have ownership or control over the data that they produce. Rather, policymakers legislatively cede control over patient data to commercial interests.
ISSN:1363-4593
1461-7196
DOI:10.1177/1363459319848038