At the end of the Hippocratic Oath, we have the following words:
And whatsoever I shall see or hear in the course of my profession, as well as outside my profession in my intercourse with men, if it be what should not be published abroad, I will never divulge, holding such things to be holy secrets.
Whether or not any physician actually formally takes the oath, practically speaking taking patient privacy seriously has always been part of our training – long before HIPPA.
In medicine, privacy has been part of our tradition and culture, and, although imperfect, every doctor I have worked with has done their best to fulfill this obligation.
Why is this important right now?
Because high tech AI and Big Data companies – the Facebooks, the Googles, etc. – have no such historical culture; in fact their cultures, and in some cases, their business model, is based on capturing private data for their own uses.
Regulations may help. Transparency may help. Blockchain may help.
But let’s face it, culture trumps strategy every time.