I don't have a lot of time today, but I'll try to address some of the recent posts.
I think, having worked in the medical field and hospitals for over 35 years now, that we need to recognize there is a difference between
technology and
medical knowledge and experience. The best medical knowledge we have comes from practitioners themselves, and researchers, and medical schools, etc. Medical software can be an enhancement, but it doesn't even come close to being enough by itself (and can often be a burden - see articles below). Along with technology, medical knowledge has come a long way in the time I've been practicing. Few would deny that they go hand in hand. But good old-fashioned research and experience is a very big part of it, as well.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2666717
I'll take a moment to interject here that medical personnel are getting burnt out and leaving the field since the institution of electronic medical documentation (originally designed for billing and other QI coding) in the past decade or so. Why? For physicians, because it's added an average of two hours a day to their workload, often at home, on their off time, to complete their required documentation on very complex systems that aren't always very user friendly. So far, doctors are the only ones who've been studied; they haven't gotten to nurses and other healt professionals yet. It is very challenging day after day to try to give physical and every other type of care to very sick and (understandably) needy people and keep up with documentation that's required on every body system, safety, pain levels, emotional status, and a whole bunch of other things. All of this is being looked at now, but it is recognized as a crisis in healthcare.
http://www.massmed.org/news-and-publications/mms-news-releases/physician-burnout-report-2018/
Someone mentioned we all sign HIPAA forms. I believe most of those are telling consumers their information will be protected unless under very specific circumstances, but I would have to re-read, unless anyone else can comment on that.
So back to Project Nightingale, i.e. the name of Google's undertaking.
As I mentioned in the OP this information is just coming out, and there is a brand new federal investigation underway now, so day to day we may be getting new information as it's discovered. But from what I can tell, this isn't so much a project that will benefit all of us consumers, necessarily, but one that will benefit Google, and, if I'm correct, push us that much more toward socialized medicine - whether we want it or not. Why?
Well, looking at what we know right now:
The data sharing includes patient names and their dates of birth, along with doctor diagnoses, lab results, and hospitalization records, amounting to access to complete electronic health records. Also included in the data sharing are addresses of the patient, family members, allergies, immunizations, radiology scans, medications, and medical conditions.
After the patient checks in to the doctor's office, or hospital, or senior center - the doctor and nurse examination results are entered into a computer. The data then instantly streams to Google’s "Project Nightingale". At this point, the system is then used to suggest treatment plans, recommend replacement or removal of a doctor from the patient's health-care team, and administer policies on narcotics. Ascension, the company sharing data with Google, may also vary their billing according to treatment or procedures.[1]
Patients and doctors have not been apprised. Medical ethics and technical questions have been raised. 150 Google employees are allowed to access much of the data on millions patients. The project is controversial because Google has paid large fines for violating privacy laws."
I recognize that some see this as a good thing, and I think it's something that should be talked about. But doing it in secrecy, through the back door, without involving physicans or consumers, is simply bad practice, and should evoke questions of intent for all of us that are consumers of healthcare in the US.