94% of patients feel their medical information and records should be stored electronically in a single location, according to a recent survey by health information network Surescripts. In fact, 58 percent of patients have tried to compile their own complete medical history—a task that is not just tedious, but often inaccurate and incomplete.
The survey, 2016 Connected Care and the Patient Experience conducted by Kelton Global from June 16-23, 2016, with participation from more than 1,000 adult Americans reveals that patients are particularly dissatisfied with the lack of a central location for their health records, as well as the difficulty in accessing and sharing those records. Plus, they’re expecting to see digitized care settings in the very near future through the use of telehealth and other technologies.
Along with the demand for efficiency, patients feel that lives are at stake when their doctors don’t have access to their complete medication history. Most patients (93 percent) feel doctors would save time if their medication history was stored in one location, and 90 percent feel that this would make their doctor less likely to prescribe the wrong medication.
Other key findings from the survey include:
– Americans would also be willing to share more general information regarding their health. Most say they would be willing to share their physical (77%), health insurance (69%) or mental health (51%) information. – the latter of which is very interesting given the increased focus on behavioral health in DC and beyond of late.
Patients are increasingly dissatisfied with the amount of time and effort they’re spending on recounting medical information and waiting in doctors’ offices or pharmacies.
– Increasingly long wait times and spending time on paperwork rather than interacting with their providers is frustrating for patients. They’re typically spending an average of 8 minutes telling their doctor their medical history (up from 6 minutes in 2015) and 8 minutes filling out paperwork at a typical doctor visit (up from 6 minutes in 2015).
– Four out of 5 patients (80 percent) feel they should only have to complete this paperwork the first time they visit a new provider.
Patients increasingly prefer and expect new and innovative ways to receive care and get prescriptions.
– Within a more consumer-centric healthcare marketplace, patients are playing a more active role in their care plans. They want more choices for how and where they receive care through alternatives like telehealth, mobile and other electronic means. More than half (52 percent) of patients expect doctors to start offering remote visits, and more than one third (36 percent) believe most doctor appointments will be remote in the next ten years.
– Patients also expect to use telehealth to receive their prescriptions from their doctor (61 percent) and would trust a prescription from a remote doctor (64 percent).
“Despite major medical and technological advancements in our country, and the fact that patients are more active consumers of care, healthcare is still inefficient, complex and unsatisfying for them,” said Tom Skelton, Chief Executive Officer of Surescripts in a statement. “We’re helping provide a more positive consumer experience by improving quality and efficiency, and reducing costs through better data access and sharing.”
