New medical devices are testing traditional definitions of medical records and therefore the application of privacy laws surrounding them, The Wall Street Journal reports. Amanda Hubbard, for example, wears a defibrillator implant in her chest that collects data on her heart rhythm changes and sends that data to Medtronic, Inc., which shares it with her doctor. Rival companies collect similar data from their patients. Medtronic says it’s contemplating selling the data to insurance companies to predict disease and lower premiums. One expert says prescribed devices are generally covered under HIPAA laws, but mobile apps that allow patients to monitor their own health, for example, may not be. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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