Accenture Survey Suggests Patient Interest in EHR Technology on the Rise
Supporting the growing trend toward patient engagement and interest in EHR technology, a new Accenture survey suggests consumers are now willing to switch doctors to gain online access to their own electronic health records. Accenture conducted an online survey of 9,000+ adults in nine countries, including the U.S. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive in July 2013. Where relevant, the survey compares select findings from the Accenture Doctors Survey to compare the doctor and consumer responses.
“The rise of Meaningful Use mandates and a growing trend of self-care among consumers is shifting the role of an EMR from a mere clinical repository to a platform for shared decision-making among consumers and doctors,” said Kaveh Safavi M.D., J.D., managing director of Accenture’s North America health business. “Just as consumers can self-manage most other aspects of their lives, they expect to take greater ownership of their medical care, and they are willing to switch to doctors who share their values and are willing to provide access to consumer records.”
Key findings from the survey indicated that 40% of U.S. consumers would be willing to switch doctors for access to EHR technology. Additionally, 84 percent of the total surveyed believe they should have full access to their electronic health records. The majority of U.S. doctors (65%) say patients should only have limited access to their records.
In a press release issued by Accenture about the survey, Kaveh Safavi M.D., J.D., managing director of Accenture’s North America health business said“The rise of Meaningful Use mandates and a growing trend of self-care among consumers is shifting the role of an EMR from a mere clinical repository to a platform for shared decision-making among consumers and doctors. Just as consumers can self-manage most other aspects of their lives, they expect to take greater ownership of their medical care, and they are willing to switch to doctors who share their values and are willing to provide access to consumer records.