In This Issue:

- Executive Summary

- Improving Care by Tapping Into the Data Goldmine

- Big Opportunities Available in Big Data

- Government Programs Supporting the Use of Big Data

- Examining the Federal and State Legal Framework for Big Data

- Key Federal Requirements for Big Data Types

- Key State Laws Limiting the Use of Health Information

- Despite Regulatory Challenges, Big Data Is Worth It

- About the Authors

- Appendix A — Overview of State Legal Framework

- Appendix B — Select State Laws Governing Use and Disclosure of Health Data

- Excerpt from Executive Summary

Big Data — the ability to collect, process, and interpret massive amounts of information — has reached health care. The proliferation of electronic medical records and mobile devices, enhanced computing platforms and infrastructure, new data sharing and mining tools, and other recent technological advances have dramatically increased the ability of health care providers, payors, and their affiliates to generate, aggregate, store, and analyze health information. Government agencies, health information exchanges, mobile device companies, online applications and platforms, social media, and collaborating hospitals, insurers, and physicians are accumulating vast amounts of health information. Rapid progress in data architecture, storage, and analysis has opened avenues to leverage that information in new and innovative ways.