69 percent of respondents to a recent study believe that they have a right to access all of their healthcare data. Over 80 percent felt that it was very important to have complete access to their medical records so they can use the information to make their own decisions.
The healthcare division of the consulting firm Accenture conducted a study of 2011 participants — 918 healthy people and 1093 with chronic conditions. Now, only 16 percent and 17 percent respectively of healthy participants and chronically ill patients felt that they have complete control of their health data. Just over one-third indicated that they have some control.
Two-thirds of survey participants were worried about privacy, while patients with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, arthritis and osteoporosis showed elevated levels of concern. The biggest concern, though, is that over 70 percent of patients whose caregivers have Electronic Health Records (EHR) never access them, primarily because they don’t know how.
With Meaningful Use Stage 2 under way, there is an increased demand for physician-patient messaging systems that facilitate the exchange of information. Patients must be able to view, download and transmit their health information within four business days.
Patients are demanding access to their own records — an unstoppable force that is shaping the future of healthcare. Get Real Health’s InstantPHR is one such patient engagement platform that is uncomplicated and easy to use. It also meets the criteria of all parties involved, namely the government, care provider and, most importantly, the patient.