Patients who have access to their health information via an electronic personal health record know more about their health and take better care of themselves, according to the findings of a recent national health IT survey.
And although tools that enable consumers to manage their health are still not widely used, physicians may hold the key to adoption of these technologies, according to the report released April 13 by the California HealthCare Foundation, a non-profit focused on healthcare reform.
Consumers prefer to use a personal health record from their healthcare provider because they have an established relationship and trust their clinician. However, of those reporting that they used a PHR, only 26 percent said their provider was the source of an e-health tool or portal. Half of those who used a PHR said they had access to an electronic record of their health information through their health plan.
According to the survey, one in 14 people, or 7 percent, has used a PHR, double the number from a year earlier. One in three PHR users said they used the e-health tool to take a specific action to improve their health.
The incentive payments for healthcare providers to become meaningful users of electronic health records (EHRs) under the HITECH Act should spark more access for consumers to their health data, said Dr. Mark Smith, president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation.
"The more successful the current federal effort is to promote EHR adoption among physicians and other providers, the easier it will be for patients to access their health information from their most trusted source," he said.
More than 60 percent of the 1,849 survey participants reported frustrations with the management of their healthcare that communications with their provider and access to their information could help to alleviate. For instance, 63 percent wished they knew more about a family member's care; 60 percent wished their physician had more time to talk with them about their treatment; and 55 percent felt like they had to be their own advocate in dealing with their provider.
It is important that the survey was able to measure some of the frustrations consumers find with healthcare so that industry and government can consider ways to alleviate the problems, said Joshua Seidman, acting director of the meaningful use division, Office of Provider Adoption Support in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.
"If meaningful use of health IT is going to change how care is delivered, we have to address these frustrations with care," he said, noting that patient engagement is one of five priorities in the requirements for meaningful use in the proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Patient information technologies are also critical for helping people with chronic conditions to manage them, Seidman said. "Most care for those with chronic conditions will take place outside of traditional care setting," he said.
Of those who used PHRs, persons with multiple chronic conditions, less education and lower incomes valued the benefits more, Smith said. The survey showed that when individuals have easy access to their health information, they pay greater attention to their health.
"And for the first time, the survey documents that PHRs empower some people, including some of the heaviest users of the health system, to take better care of themselves," Smith said.
Privacy of healthcare information continues to be a concern among 68 percent of those participating in the survey, slightly more than the 67 percent in a previous survey. The good news is that that as individuals get comfortable with PHRs and use these tools, they have less concern about privacy and confidentiality, said Steve Findlay, senior health policy analyst for Consumers Union. "That's not surprising since these are eager early adopters," he added.
"People want strong rules and regulations around their PHRs, and that is appropriate. That view has held this nascent industry's feet to the fire for several years now with privacy and security protections," he said, noting that it has also kept the pressure on government to create clear and tough rules around breaches and file sharing.
Despite their concerns, the respondents said that providers and industry should continue to seek how technology can help improve healthcare, according to the survey conducted by Lake Research Partners during December 2009 and January 2010.
