EMR Data–Health Industry’s Most Valuable Asset: PwC Study
“Transforming healthcare through secondary use of health data”
In a report issued on October 1, 2009 by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 3/4 of healthcare executives surveyed “agree that the secondary use of this information (from electronic medical records) will be their organization’s greatest asset over the next five years. The data that could be mined from the health system can improve patient care, predict public health trends and reduce healthcare costs, but PricewaterhouseCoopers finds lack of standards, privacy concerns and technology limitations are holding back progress.”

“PricewaterhouseCoopers calls for public-private collaboration and a role for government in creating incentives for the private sector to collect, share and use health data; to establish standards; and to redefine technical architecture to allow interoperability.”

This report is based on a round-table discussion PwC held with IT and strategy leaders from payer, provider, and pharmaceutical companies, and  a related national survey conducted in the spring of 2009.

Five case studies for using secondary health data are highlighted:
1. Integrated, member focused healthcare: Aetna
2. Evidence-based, quality improvement program: American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA)
3. Promoting healthcare research: Geisinger Health System
4. Post-market surveillance of drugs: Partners HealthCare
5. An integrated health record: WellPoint

PwC Press Release
PwC Report Web Page
PwC Report (pdf) : “Transforming healthcare through secondary use of health data”