Medical Express reports:
A significant shift in the health care market is well underway, with various insurers, medical groups, vendors and supply chains pursuing acquisitions and mergers to expand their services, and retail outlets, from Walmart and Amazon to Rite-Aid and Albertsons, delivering health care services, including telehealth.
But do current policies adequately protect patient privacy and anticipate the capabilities of artificial intelligence and other rapidly advancing technologies? And do retailers who are rapidly expanding into traditional health care markets have significant advantages in terms of access to data over current health care organizations?
Telehealth leaders at UC Davis School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School say more needs to be done and that HIPAA, net neutrality and other policies need to be re-evaluated and updated to offer the appropriate guidance.
The researchers explore these and other policy issues in a study published in the December issue of Health Affairs.
Read more on Medical Express.