DIGITAL DISRUPTION
64 pathology . It could improve patient outcomes , and increase productivity across the system , freeing up clinicians ’ time so they can focus on the parts of the job where they add the most value .”
Google ’ s aforementioned interest in health data led to its acquisition of medtech wearables firm Fitbit . Accordingly , we ’ ve seen a proliferation of wearable devices which give users the ability to track elements of their fitness . Whether that ’ s smart watches that can track the distance you ’ ve run or portable heart monitoring devices , the data they generate is not purely useful to the end user , with the likes of Google Fit and Apple Health all sharing data by default . This mutual model of data generation and consumption is big business . Just look at the price Google paid for Fitbit : $ 2.1bn .
One fundamental question remains with this proliferation of highly sensitive and highly valuable data : its security . Tim Brown , VP of Security at infrastructure management software firm SolarWinds , says that the healthcare industry faces additional risk owing to two factors .
APRIL 2020