By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    magnesium water can be good for your health but you can't have too much
    Is Drinking Magnesium Water Good for Your Health?
    October 17, 2023
    common misconseptions about brain injuries
    4 Common Myths and Misunderstandings About Brain Injuries
    February 5, 2023
    get a career in medical device sales
    What Are the Benefits of Attending Medical Sales College?
    April 10, 2023
    Latest News
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Elective Coronary Stenting: A Case in Context
    August 3, 2011
    PSA screening: Does It or Doesn’t It?
    March 16, 2012
    Rick Perry Needs To Make Up His Mind
    September 19, 2011
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Big Data Could Bring Your Credit Card History to Your Doctor
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Big Data Could Bring Your Credit Card History to Your Doctor
Business

Big Data Could Bring Your Credit Card History to Your Doctor

Abby Norman
Abby Norman
Share
5 Min Read
Is Big Data going too far?
SHARE
Is Big Data going too far?

Your Doctor Knows You’re Buying Cigarettes

Imagine if your doctor could see your credit card transactions. They’d know when you were going out to eat, skipping out on your gym membership, going out for a night on the town – you name it, they’d know it.

Contents
Your Doctor Knows You’re Buying CigarettesYour Doctor Knows You’re Buying CigarettesCarolinas Healthcare System PilotBig Data Brilliant Strategy – or Gross Invasion of Privacy? 
Is Big Data going too far?

Your Doctor Knows You’re Buying Cigarettes

Imagine if your doctor could see your credit card transactions. They’d know when you were going out to eat, skipping out on your gym membership, going out for a night on the town – you name it, they’d know it.

It might seem like a gross invasion of privacy, but it might soon be a reality for patients in the Carolinas Healthcare System.


Carolinas Healthcare System Pilot

Carolinas, which covers as many as 900 medical centers in North and South Carolina, has been using an algorithm that takes the consumer data of over 2 million people and identifies patients who could be high risk – based on their consumer behaviors. This includes public records, which are generally accessible to anyone, but also individual customer loyalty programs at local and national retailers, as well as the individual’s credit card purchases.

More Read

primary care doctor
Time: The Impediment to Being a Good Primary Care Doctor
Better, Smarter, Healthier: Medicare and Value Based Purchasing
A Happy Staff Means Successful Internal Hospital Marketing
The ENGAGE Conference: Top Insights for Patient-Centric Digital Health Innovators
Scrutinizing Adherence Must Not Be Shortsighted

The hope is that this algorithm could point out red flags to providers before their patients get too deep into unhealthy behaviors or lifestyle choices. By intervening earlier, providers hope to nip these bad behaviors in the bud and turn their patient’s around before they end up hospitalized or on more intensive medication regimen.

The algorithm processes an enormous amount of data and distills it down into risk scores for each patient. Taking into consideration the patient’s pre-existing conditions, doctors can use this data to foresee problems down the road for patients who may already have risks- risks that they are not actively trying to lessen, if their purchasing history is to be believed.

A patient might lie about how often they smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol, but if a doctor is able to cull information from their credit card purchases, they may see that in fact, this patient (who may have a history of cardiac trouble, asthma, or another condition) is still regularly purchasing – and presumably smoking – cigarettes from the grocery store.

That being said, that’s an assumption a doctor in the Carolinas Healthcare System would have to make based on the patient’s risk score – at this time, healthcare providers aren’t looking at specific transactions, but instead, the risk score calculated based on the transactions. Still, it doesn’t sound like it would take much for a physician to make inferences about why a specific patient’s score is high if thye know their history.

Big Data 

Big Data has been a hot topic in healthcare in recent years, and it shows no signs of slowing down. But where is the line drawn between data mining and invasions of privacy? Those behind the data mining insist that they only have the patient’s best interest in mind, and with healthcare costs soaring, it would make sense that doctors and healthcare systems too would jump at the chance to lower their cost s- by having more information available to them and being able to predict a patient’s likelihood of utilizing services.

Brilliant Strategy – or Gross Invasion of Privacy? 

But the question remains- is this taking the capabilities of Big Data too far? Is this relationship between healthcare systems and big consumer companies a violation of the consumer’s rights to have their purchases protected? Or does the selling and exchanging of data by these companies preclude any rights of the individual consumer?

Only time will tell if this practice will work for Carolinas Healthcare System. If the pilot goes well, though, there’s a good chance a similar pilot could roll out in other states, perhaps even nationwide. But will consumers – patients – let it happen?

TAGGED:big datacarolinas healthcare systemPrivacy
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Abby Norman
My name is Abby Norman and I am a healthcare blogger. With over 10 years of experience in the medical field, I have developed a passion for helping others understand the complexities of healthcare.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025
a woman giving a key
How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
Health
July 16, 2025
a woman with kinesio tapes on her back arm
How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

Transparency in healthcare
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic Health

Transparency in Health Care: Can It Happen?

February 27, 2014

Do-It-Yourself Death Panel

May 4, 2015

Don Berwick Controversy

December 5, 2011
clinical labs
Hospital Administration

5 Best Practices for Quality & Accuracy in Clinical Labs

January 14, 2024
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?