Essay Sample My Position on Whether Mining a Physician Data Should Be Illegal

Introduction

Even though pharmaceutical companies use the information for marketing purposes, I do not think that mining physician data is illegal. However, I think that it would be appropriate to establish some legal boundaries for the information that they can access. As Sohrabi et al. (2019) suggested, data mining is essential in businesses. It provides solutions to businesses by identifying analytical techniques and existing business problems to establish essential new correlations and trends. Moreover, I do not think it is illegal, because the information could be mined to enable the American Medical Association to gain oversight of physicians who could be misusing their power.

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My Feeling as a Patient about Pharmaceutical Companies Mining my Doctor's Data

As a patient, I do not mind if pharmaceutical companies mined my doctor’s information. However, I would be more comfortable if my identification stayed off the prescription information. Moreover, as a patient, the main concern that I have involves getting the right prescriptions that I require for the condition that I may have. Another concern for myself as a patient is the way that the pharmaceutical companies would use the information and the impact on my health. As Kaufman (2007) explained, most companies use different and illegal actions to create wealth for their companies. For instance, most prescription drug sellers have full access to various commercial information through facilities like pharmacies. However, this information does not provide full disclosure of the source of the prescription and therefore, does not give them specific access to patient data.

My Feeling as a Pharmaceutical Company Employee about Mining a Physician Data

As a pharmaceutical employee, the main concern that I would have would be how the mined information about the physician is used. I feel that it is essential to accumulate as much money as it comes in handy in developing a comfortable life. As a pharmaceutical employee, I would do my best for the company and, in turn, earn more. However, despite this, I would not endorse or participate in any illegal activities. Instead, I would ensure that all the documents in the company are legal. In this aspect, I strongly think that getting the information right may involve data mining the physician’s data (Canlas, 2009). If pharmaceutical companies decide to use this data, then doctors and hospitals should be given protections that resemble the Fair Crediting Reporting Act (FCRA). As such, physicians and hospitals should see their data and go-ahead to challenge it. As Canlas (2009) provided, transparency is the main requirement to ensure that the information is used ethically.

References

Canlas, R. D. (2009). Data mining in Healthcare: Current Applications and Issues. School of Information Systems & Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Australia. http://mines.humanoriented.com/classes/2010/fall/csci568/papers/Data_Mining_Health.pdf

Kaufman, W. (2007). NPR Choice page. Npr.org. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11382945.

Sohrabi, B., Vanani, I. R., Nikaein, N., & Kakavand, S. (2019). A predictive analytics of physicians prescription and pharmacies sales correlation using data mining. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Iman_Raeesi_Vanani/publication/333890136_A_predictive_analytics_of_physicians_prescription_and_pharmacies_sales_correlation_using_data_mining/links/5d135229458515c11cf8ea13/A-predictive-analytics-of-physicians-prescription-and-pharmacies-sales-correlation-using-data-mining.pdf