ABSTRACT
Big data is defined elsewhere in this book, but it has many attributes that apply to the large electronic sources of health data being created, managed, and analyzed by healthcare providers, health organizations, and patients and their families. Data from genetic mapping, pharmaceutical tracking, public health reporting, digital x-rays, CAT scans and laboratory results, payer and provider data, insurance claims data, and consumer online behavior adds up to petabytes of information. What makes this data so exciting is that big data has the potential to improve individual and population health, make the business of healthcare more cost-effective, and lead to new treatments of chronic and infectious diseases. In healthcare, the success of enterprisewide electronic information will be measured by its contributions to improvements in individual and population health.
