SPOTLIGHT: HMOs offshoring medical data mgmt

Strapped for cash due to rising healthcare costs, some HMOs are outsourcing private patient medical data to India. The outsourcing companies handle everything from claims processing to diagnostics to drug testing and have access to private data so sensitive it could be ground for a person to be denied a job or health insurance. Outsourcing this data might not be as bad as it sounds, though. Data security can make or break an outsourcing firm, so often their security standards are even stricter than our own. In addition, having a person half a world away handle your medical records does provide a certain level of anonymity. In the end, the bottom line is that outsourcing is just one more way HMOs are trying to cut down on their expenses. Article

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