NJ Spotlight published the following article on April 7, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
POLICY EXPERTS CALL FOR EASIER ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE DATA FOR RESEARCH
ANDREW KITCHENMAN | APRIL 7, 2014Privacy laws and network of government agencies stifle flow of information that could help improve delivery of medical services in NJ
The growing amount of data being collected about New Jersey’s healthcare system could be a vital asset to help solve existing problems and address future needs. But healthcare researchers are frustrated that state government has been slow to provide information needed to conduct studies and analyze patient behavior.
Dr. Jeffrey Brenner, a leader in coordinating healthcare initiatives in Camden, said legislation is needed to make data more easily accessible to researchers, who can spend years trying to access the information they need. Layers of security protect data, under federal privacy laws, and the fact that data for individual patients is kept by several different state agencies complicates efforts to improve access.
Healthcare researchers are excited about the possible uses of data to help solve a number of intractable problems, such as how to best target healthcare for patients who have chronic conditions.
The benefits and challenges of working with healthcare data in New Jersey was the subject of a panel discussion on April 4 at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.