> Furthermore, simplified metrics frequently distort incentives. If graduation rates are the metric by which funding is determined, then a school might do whatever it takes to bolster them. Although some of these efforts might add value to students’ learning, it’s also possible to game the system in ways that are counterproductive to actual education.

I thought this part of the article particularly interesting. The problem is not just the access to data, but the obsession to optimize the numbers shown. The solution is to understand that:

   whenever a metric becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure

Which is known as Goodhart's Law [0]. The problem with transparency and any kind of data is that you should be very careful when choosing your metrics and targets, as statistics can be deceiving. Unfortunately, this is probably too complicated to institutionalize in large groups of people who might not get the point, so ultimately a balance has to be chosen between transparency and confidentiality.

In the case of medical records, I believe doctors should have the option to write two notes: One accessible to the patients and the other for medical staff, without the option of sharing it. I fear the consequences of their work being so transparent could ultimately lead to bad communication and in the worst case leading to the wrong treatment.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart's_law