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What percent of patients notified of a privacy breach actually change providers?

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Dissent

Infographics are getting as overused as PowerPoint, but occasionally I see one that catches my eye with an interesting finding. Case in point: this infographic with the results of a U.S. patient survey conducted in 2011 by FairWarning (open in new window and click to enlarge). My comments are after the infographic.
US-SURVEY

Some of the data were pretty much what I expected to see based on experience in covering breaches, but how far patients might drive because of privacy concerns surprised me. And what surprised me more was that how patients learn about a breach might make even more of a difference in whether they leave the provider or stay following a breach than I would have thought. If patients find out from the provider, 19.1% said they would leave, but if they find out through the media, 64% said they’d leave.  FairWarning’s finding is consistent with what I’ve always advised entities: get out ahead of the story. Of course, what patients say they would do and what they actually do once in they are in a situation is not necessarily the same, but a subset of their sample had experienced breaches, and their most dramatic finding not included in the infographic was the following (emphasis added by me):

6 percent of patient respondents indicated they had been alerted their medical records had been compromised. As a result of the breach, 60 percent indicated they no longer seek care from that provider.

Of course, FairWarning’s sample is not a truly random sample and is based on 1,265 online responses to 10,000 requests that were sent out, so we’re talking about 6% of 1265 respondents having been notified of a breach, and 60% of those patients changing providers. Even so, that’s a surprisingly high statistic, isn’t it?

While FairWarning’s findings may serve as incentive to invest in privacy and security controls, it may also serve as an incentive to cover up a breach and hope that the truth never comes out.  And although the consequences of a coverup can be huge, I can understand how an entity might not want to risk losing 19% of their patients even if they notify immediately and fully.

I think we really, really need more external audits.

You can read the full U.S. survey report on FairWarning.com, where you’ll also find survey reports from other countries. Some of the reports are remarkably consistent across countries.

 


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