Health Data Privacy and Third-Party Apps: Reframing the Conversation

Two industry experts argue that providers routinely and legally share health data electronically under HIPAA, and sharing with patients and patients’ third-party apps should be just as routine.

One of the most highly-debated issues in health IT circles the past few years has been over privacy concerns when patients share their health information with third-party app developers that are not covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). These apprehensions only picked up steam when the federal government finalized regulations earlier this year that will require healthcare providers to send medical information to third-party apps at the patient’s request.