In The News

Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers

August 17, 2015

remote health monitoring

connected health devices

fitness tracker

According to research firm Parks Associates, the majority of those surveyed indicated that they are not willing to share data collected from wearable devices, even if it meant receiving a discount on their health insurance premiums. In spite of this reluctance, these same consumers were willing to share data for the purpose of troubleshooting the devices themselves.

The results of the survey varied significantly by device. Forty-two percent of digital pedometer owners were willing to share data in order to receive a health insurance discount; for smartwatch owners the total was 35 percent; and for sleep-quality monitor owners it was 26 percent. Nevertheless, a solid majority of device owners was not willing to share data.

Consumers are justified in their concerns about health data privacy. The Los Angeles Times told in July of a security breach in October 2014 where hackers compromised UCLA Health Systems’ computer network, putting 4.5 million patients’ sensitive data at risk. What was troubling about the incident was that it took nearly seven months from the time suspicious activity was discovered in October, to May 5, which is when investigators determined the system was hacked. Additionally troubling was that the data was not even encrypted.

From the article "Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers" by Christopher Mohr.

Previously In The News

'Alexa, multiply': Voice assistants show huge growth

Usage of voice-activated assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant remains relatively low. But it is growing at an impressive rate. In fourth quarter of last year, 12 percent of U.S. b...

OTT Churn Edges Up In US

About 20% of US broadband homes had cancelled at least one OTT service in the last 12 months at the end of 2015, according to data from Parks Associates. Netflix has the lowest churn among US OTT s...

Wearables trends reflect growing use of analytics, customized value proposition

Data and user privacy remain top reasons consumers are wary of wearable devices. For instance, a recent Parks Associates report notes that about 35 percent of consumers who responded to a survey say t...

mHealth Looks to Solve the Diabetes Care Management Conundrum

Earlier this year, a report from digital health analyst Parks Associates found that 27 percent of people with a chronic condition want a mobile health device that tracks their health, but a significan...

‹
1
2
...
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
...
719
720
›