Top 10 Tech Trends: Pushing the Patient into the Picture

MORE TO COME

It’s not just Blue Button. Like many other elements of healthcare, having patients easily access their data electronically is also being pushed by way of regulatory measures. In Stage 2 of meaningful use of EHRs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act/ Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (ARRA/HITECH) Act, eligible providers must have five percent of their patients view, transmit, and download their record electronically.

In Stage 3, even more requirements are being proposed in this regard. For example, the government’s Health IT Policy Committee has suggested that providers be required to accept patient-generated health information. Not only would providers be required to give patients easy access to their health record, but they’d have to accept their input as well.

While many providers have begun to do this already, this movement is not without its challenges. As DeBronkart says, “A lot of people are enthusiastic about the idea of patient portals, but at the same time, we have the reality that on the back-end, the user interface pretty much stinks. We have a lot of getting over the hump that needs to happen.”

Numerous studies, such as a recent one from researchers at the University of Oregon that found patients who were less active in participating in their healthcare were paying eight- to 21 percent-higher in costs compared to patients with the highest level of activation, seemingly confirm the benefits and significance of this movement. Studies from the VA and the Oakland-based integrated care provider, Kaiser Permanente, have shown there are also clinical benefits to engaging patients.

Quite simply, many people believe the stakes are too high to allow this patient access movement to pass by. That’s why people like DeBronkart say that in the coming year, “It’s important for people to keep their eye on the prize” and continue the development of easy information access for patients.