Ebbs and Flows: Issues in Cross-Border Exchange and Regulation of Health Information

Oliver Kim (University of Pittsburgh), Ebbs and Flows: Issues in Cross-Border Exchange and Regulation of Health Information, 26 Annals Health L. 39 (2017):

The use of data—health, financial, commercial— has huge implications for our economic interests both domestically and globally. Information has as much currency as other goods and services, and even across borders, this data has use. In healthcare, the free exchange of such data may help consumers make better health decisions, patients engage in their care, practitioners avoid costly mistakes and duplicate test, and the government evaluate services for actual value. How we share data across borders is even more arduous due to barriers not only around interoperability but also legal concerns around issues such as privacy and security.

Being able to gather data is one step toward improving health--data needs to be aggregated and shared in order to truly harness its power to shape health by spotting trends not visible at an individual patient level. At a global level, harnessing even greater data can help identify trends regardless of whether the payer is public or private and provide important tools for research, public health, and preparedness. But, for such public health and research efforts to be successful, there needs to be greater harmonization between different nations’ requirements for the collection and utilization of health information.

The paper spotlights challenges and opportunities of data exchange with Canada, our largest trading partner, for several reasons. Our countries share a common border, speak a common language, and have a long history of regulatory collaboration in many areas. Often, regulatory schemes harmonized between our two countries become a template for further harmonization efforts with other countries.