What is SMPC?
Secure Multi-Party Computation (SMPC) is a cryptographic protocol that allows multiple parties to compute functions on private data without revealing the data itself. In SMPC, no individual party has access to the full data; instead, data is split into fragments, and the computation takes place in a way that only the final output is revealed, leaving the private information of each participant secure.
It is an effective method for keeping sensitive information confidential while allowing researchers to perform analyses.
Using SMPC to maintain patient privacy
In healthcare, “SMPC helps ensure that sensitive healthcare data remains secure while [allowing] healthcare professionals to perform computations on the data they need to provide better care for patients,” Microsoft Healthcare and Life Sciences Blog on leverage SMPC for machine learning inference explains.
So, healthcare providers and research institutions can pool data and analyze it for clinical trials or disease pattern analysis without compromising individual privacy. Ultimately, healthcare entities can use SMPC protocols to process data collectively while safeguarding patients’ protected health information (PHI).
HIPAA compliance and patient privacy
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a U.S. regulation that protects the privacy and security of individuals' PHI. HIPAA applies to covered entities, including healthcare providers, insurers, and their business associates, who handle PHI, like medical records, payment histories, and personal health data.
To ensure the confidentiality and integrity of PHI, HIPAA mandates that covered entities implement strict data protection measures. These include access controls to limit data access, data encryption to secure information during storage and transmission, and comprehensive audit trails to monitor and prevent unauthorized access or potential data breaches.
How SMPC and HIPAA work together
Maintains patient privacy
HIPAA mandates that PHI is kept private, and under SMPC, data privacy is inherently protected. Since the individual data entries are split into encrypted fragments and are never fully revealed during computation, it helps researchers uphold HIPAA’s Privacy Rule.
Data encryption
HIPAA mandates encrypting health data during storage and transmission. SMPC inherently supports this requirement, using advanced cryptographic techniques that keep data encrypted throughout the computation process.
Only the final, aggregated results are disclosed to participating parties, so individual data points remain confidential. Ultimately, it allows researchers to securely perform complex computations on encrypted data without exposing the underlying information.
Secure collaborative research
SMPC helps institutions securely pool and analyze data without breaching privacy regulations. Through advanced cryptographic protocols, hospitals and research organizations can collaboratively develop predictive models or conduct clinical studies while protecting patient data.
It facilitates valuable research without compromising data privacy or violating regulatory requirements.
Compliance with HIPAA's Minimum Necessary Rule
HIPAA’s Minimum Necessary Rule requires that only the least PHI necessary for a specific purpose be disclosed. SMPC naturally supports this principle as it allows computations on encrypted data without revealing the underlying datasets.
It allows researchers and analysts to extract insights without accessing raw personal health information, so data sharing remains privacy-conscious and HIPAA compliant.
Auditing and accountability
HIPAA requires all data access and sharing to be auditable to prevent unauthorized access and support accountability. Many SMPC implementations are designed with built-in logging and auditing features that track data usage and interactions throughout the computation process. These mechanisms provide detailed records of who accessed the data, when, and for what purpose, following HIPAA Rules.
Examples of using SMPC in healthcare
Collaborative medical research
Medical researchers can use SMPC to access and analyze patient data from different healthcare providers or institutions without violating privacy laws.
For example, a pharmaceutical company could work with multiple hospitals to test a new drug without seeing patient records.
Insurance and claims processing
SMPC can help healthcare insurers perform fraud detection by analyzing claim data from multiple parties. The insurer can run analytics to detect suspicious patterns without accessing specific patient data, maintaining HIPAA compliance.
Predictive healthcare models
Hospitals, health insurance companies, and research labs can collaborate on building predictive healthcare models. These models could use patient data to predict health outcomes, identify high-risk patients, or improve care protocols while adhering to HIPAA’s data security and privacy requirements.
Challenges and future directions
While SMPC provides an innovative solution, it requires significant overhead for privacy-preserving computations, making SMPC less practical for some real-time or resource-constrained applications. Moreover, scalability can be challenging when the number of parties involved increases.
Ultimately, we need more research on quantum computing, zero-knowledge proofs, and other cryptographic methods to improve SMPC protocols and increase large-scale feasibility in healthcare.
Read also: The fundamentals of quantum computing
FAQs
Can providers securely send PHI without learning new software?
Yes, providers can integrate a platform like Paubox with existing email systems such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Outlook.
Paubox automatically encrypts emails and does not require recipients to use portals or keys. So, providers can use regular emails without compromising patient privacy or violating HIPAA regulations.
Can researchers send personalized messages to study participants?
Yes, HIPAA compliant solutions can help researchers segment and tailor messages to specific demographics or health conditions.
Can email increase participation in clinical trials?
Yes, studies show that email campaigns can achieve high registration and consent rates when combined with effective outreach strategies.
Go deeper: Using HIPAA compliant email to improve clinical trial recruitment
