Everyone is worried about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. Opinion pieces debate the ability of AI to manage patient needs. Doctors are alternately decrying and advocating for how it can be used in their practices, and patients are questioning how it will impact their quality of care and their bill. But the reality is that the big bad wolf at the door of the health care industry isn't the unknown of machine learning—it's the very real threat of innovation leading the charge without doctors at the helm.
Trust forms the bedrock of an ethical health care system, one that fosters an environment that prioritizes the well-being of the patient above all else. But as health care startups attempt to reshape the delivery of patient care, major concerns have emerged regarding the prioritization of business interests over patient outcomes.
Innovation is the key to promising new treatments and therapies that will ultimately change the lives of millions—but the lack of provider involvement in new health care business ventures is putting patients in grave danger. To that end, health care providers must take an active role in safeguarding patient safety and privacy, ensuring that health care startups operate with ethical practices and patient-centric principles.
Health care is more nuanced than any other field, and demands the highest standards when it comes to ethical practices. There is no room for trial and error when human lives are on the line, nor is it acceptable to abuse private patient data for profit-driven purposes. Yet we're seeing new business models scale at alarming rates without regard for ethical health care practices. It's this "growth at all costs" attitude that blurs the lines between profitability and patient outcomes. Investors and executives are putting themselves in positions of power without any strategic advising from an experienced medical provider.
Chasing growth is a business imperative—but in doing so, corners are cut around patient care and these "incentives" are displacing motivation to make patient outcomes the No. 1 priority. This presents a grave danger, especially in the case of controlled substances or weight loss medications.
A hospital may be HIPAA compliant, but thousands of billers and administrators can access a patient's chart at any time. Rather than compliance, it's a matter of ethics in practice and quality of care. A beautifully marketed health care tech startup may offer affordable bells and whistles, but a bargain service may indicate you're the product rather than the patient.
The modern-day patient has evolved significantly—individuals are showing up to appointments having done extensive research, and not always on reliable platforms. They have a higher expectation for the care they receive, paired with unlimited access to information, resulting in a unique type of preparedness. If a patient states they "want" a specific medication or treatment, and the startup profits from that choice, what's to stop them from choosing profit over patient care and protection?
At the same time, patients must be mindful of what information they are disclosing and the associated comfort level of it being shared. Medical history can have ramifications for your entire life. Could the release of certain information impact your family, job, or career? The provider's job is to advocate for the patient. This includes demanding transparency regarding data handling and security protocols, challenging dubious marketing claims, and ensuring businesses prioritize evidence-based medicine and patient safety.
Patient data is being sold as a primary revenue generating stream, but this model is fundamentally misaligned with the health care system. Patients share personal information with a doctor to further their health care needs, and that standard of trust and care must never be compromised.
We have to leverage the weight of a provider's influence and experience, ensuring they are used to promote patient well-being and protect their interests at every turn. As trusted custodians of patient data, health care providers bear the responsibility of ensuring that the business prioritizes privacy protection and adheres to robust data security protocols.
This is a massive opportunity for all health care professionals to realign as we build a new system of ethics. And it's crucial to highlight the patient's responsibility in this evolving landscape. Patients should feel fully empowered to research and prepare for appointments—as the consumer, due diligence is necessary to determine how and where to best engage, challenge, and trust. At the same time, startup companies must take steps to ensure data security and patient-centric ethical practices with medical professionals in advisory and decision-making positions.
Without this goalpost to inform the future of health care businesses, we will be lost in the gray of data implementation versus exploitation. As technology continues to advance and questions of data privacy ethics loom large, providers must stand firm in the face of profit and never waver in defense of our vow to do no harm, protecting the health in health care above all else.
Dr. Manan Shah is an ENT physician and biomedical engineer with advanced certification in clinical research. Dr. Shah is the co-founder and CMedO of Wyndly, a modern medical practice that specializes in helping allergy sufferers achieve allergy-free lives, all from the comfort and convenience of their home.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
