[brandonb]

I think the intent of HIPAA is good, but in practice, it's a big barrier to a lot of medical advancements. It's less the letter of the law itself, to be honest, and more the penumbra of fear that develops around any complex law. We saw the same thing on healthcare.gov.

There was a great article about this a while ago, but I can't seem to find it now.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the approach the FDA and other regulatory bodies are taking to digital health -- mostly hands-off, but stepping in to stop pure snake oil apps that really have the potential for harm. That seems like a good balance.

[dsjoerg]

Thanks for using the wonderfully evocative phrase "Penumbra of Fear". Googling the phrase led me to read "Terms of Service" (http://projects.aljazeera.com/2014/terms-of-service), a great read.

And yes, as someone working in the highly regulated finance industry, I know from personal experience that complex laws directly create a penumbra of fear you can't ignore.