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Comment by iancmceachern | Hacker News Reader

That's not what it's for!

HIPPA exists so this can't happen. You (not the patient or their caregiver) should absolutely have no access, no right to access, and no need to access the personal medical details of a person.

I would never do such a thing, why are you?

Pragmatically, it exists. If Boston Scientific has an issue with a lead in one of their neurostimulators, they need to know who needs surgury to replace it and who doesn't.

These processes exist, you just don't know about them because you are focused on it from a data mining perspective, not a caregivers or patients perspective.

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> I would never do such a thing, why are you?

LOL! Because I wrote a research proposal that was approved, got an IRB, and worked with a team of clinical staff to execute the study. That’s generally what goes on at major academic research hospitals.

> If Boston Scientific has an issue with a lead in one of their neurostimulators, they need to know who needs surgury to replace it and who doesn't.

This is an assumption you are making that is not valid. Please do yourself a favor and look at some of the links that I have posted in this thread. What I am telling you is not a secret. Many people have been writing and talking about for many years.

Not a constructive comment, but I'm gonna say it anyway: this conversation is perfectly frustrating to watch. Thank you both.

Yes, but this is a specific use case. In your parent comment you asked me why I don't just go do that. I said that would be illegal (because I'm not a researcher). You assume everyone is a researcher? You assume that all medical systems operate like research institutions? You assume that because your research institution is providing sub standard care by loosing and not tracking vital patient data that is needed for their quality of care that every other caregiver does the same?

The world of Healthcare is far far bigger than research....

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