Patients, MDs Divided by IT Chasm

When it comes to consumer use of health information technology, demand seems to be outstripping supply and it's creating a great healthcare chasm.

Results of a new survey show that, while three out of four patients are eager to access health records online through EMRs and more than 60% want to communicate with their doctor via email or other Internet technology, only 40% of physicians said they had the capability to interact with patients through email or give them access to their online health records.

This despite the fact that 70% of surveyed physicians said they had basic electronic medical records capability within their organizations.

The data come from Optum Institute, part of health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group's health IT and services division Optum, and Harris Interactive, which surveyed 1,000 physicians, 2,870 U.S. adults, and 400 U.S. hospital executives from May 20 to June 12.

Consumers' desires for online communication and access of health records is not limited to the young. The survey found that 57% of the seniors who participated in the survey said that they want to go online to interact with care providers and manage their health.

"While hospitals and physicians have made considerable progress in adopting new technologies, our research underscores the pressing need to increase the level of patient-facing technology to create strong, two-way, patient-physician communication," said Carol Simon, director of the Optum Institute, in a news release.

Here are some more results:

• 76% of patients are willing to go online to view test results
• 65% want appointment reminders via email
• 62% of patients want to communicate online with their primary care physician
• Physician use of EMRs has increased sharply t0 70% from 55% since November 2011
• Only 46% of physicians currently have EMRs that provide patients with tailored information to assist patients in decision-making and self-management

Comment