Patients Want Access to e-Records

The vast majority of Americans have never asked a doctor to provide them with personal health information or medical records in an electronic format, yet 70 percent of people responding to a new survey said it's important for doctors and hospitals to provide them with electronic copies of that information.

Almost two-thirds of doctors agreed that they should provide medical records to patients in electronic format, according to results of parallel surveys conducted in August by the Markle Foundation, which promotes "health and national security through the use of information and technology."

This fall, for the first time, patients receiving health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs will be able to download "pertinent health information," the foundation notes. And Medicare beneficiaries are gaining the ability to download claims information.

"Government has demonstrated what should be possible for health consumers everywhere," Markle said.

More than 60 percent of lay respondents and almost half the physicians said the ability of patients to access electronic records will be an important standard by which to measure the success of a $27 billion federal subsidy program created to encourage adoption of electronic medial records by healthcare providers.

The foundation noted that "new federal rules require health care providers and hospitals to give patients electronic copies of their lists of medications, after-visit summaries, lab results and other pertinent information in order to qualify for an estimated $27 billion in federal subsidies for using health information technology."

Despite the interest in exchanging electronic data, 93 percent of patients surveyed said they rarely or never ask for copies of personal health information or medical records in electronic format. Almost the same percent of doctors reported that patients rarely or never asked for such information.

One part of the Markle Survey on Health in a Networked Life 2010 sampled 2,463 people in the general population. A separate survey queried 779 physicians. The foundation released results of the survey this month.