The following originally appeared as a guest post at the blog of the director of National Library of Medicine (NLM) and NIH Interim Associate Director for Data Science, Dr. Patti Brennan.
“Patients are sitting on a treasure trove of data about their own medical conditions.”
My late father, Dr. Lawrence L. Weed (LLW), made this point the day before he died. He was talking about the lost wealth of neglected patient data—readily available, richly detailed data that too often go unidentified and unexamined. Why does that happen, and what can be done about it?
The risk of missed information
From the very outset of medical problem-solving, LLW argued, patients and practitioners face greater risk of loss and harm than they may realize. The risk arises as soon as a patient starts an internet search about a medical problem, or as soon as a practitioner starts questioning the patient about the problem (whether diagnostic or therapeutic).
Ideally, these initial inquiries would somehow take into account the entire universe of collectible patient data and vast medical knowledge about what the data mean. But such thoroughness is more than the human mind can deliver.
This gap creates high risk that information crucial to solving the patient’s problem will be missed. And whatever information the mind does deliver is not recorded and harvested in a manner that permits organized feedback and continuous improvement.
Humans are aspirational by nature.
The integration of behavioral health into the primary care setting has resulted in a number of benefits. Traditionally, behavioral health and medical health operated separately, but in recent years, the integration of these two systems has improved access to care, ensured continuity of care, reduced stigma associated with seeking care and allowed for earlier detection and treatment of mental health and substance abuse issues. By bringing behavioral health specialists into primary care facilities, healthcare systems have streamlined care and brought down costs, working collaboratively and reducing the number of appointments and hospital visits.
Austin Frakt and Aaron Carroll recently approached me about a 
Our day-to-day interactions with technology are changing expectations and aspirations for almost every touch point in modern life. We want instant feedback and action at the push of a button, from the digital shopping cart to the doctor’s office. That is part of why there is a constant stream of new apps and tech services being released across every industry, including wellness. But the barrage of options can be a problem of its own nature.
Last week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee wrapped up hearings focused on stabilizing the individual insurance market leaving unresolved an issue that separates Dem’s and Rep’s on the committee: just how much freedom states should have in managing their insurance markets. At issue are the Section 1332 waivers which allow states to reduce essential benefits in health insurance policies, thus allowing insurers to sell policies that cover less with lower premiums.
In an age where big data is king and doctors are urged to treat populations, the journey of one man still has much to tell us. This is a tale of a man named Joe.
