Supporting the growing trend toward patient engagement, a recent Accenture
(NYSE:ACN) survey found that many U.S. consumers (41 percent) would be
willing to switch doctors to gain online access to their own electronic
medical records (EMR). The survey, of more than 9,000 people in nine
countries, shows that only about a third of U.S. consumers (36 percent)
currently have full access to their EMR, but more than half (57 percent)
have taken ownership of their record by self-tracking their personal
health information, including their health history (37 percent),
physical activity (34 percent) and health indicators (33 percent), such
as blood pressure and weight.
“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.”
Roughly four out of five consumers (84 percent) surveyed believe they
should have full access to their electronic medical record while only a
third of physicians (36 percent) share this belief. In contrast, the
majority of U.S. doctors (65 percent) say patients should only have
limited access to their records and that is what most individuals (63
percent) say they currently have.
“When consumers are part of the record-keeping process, it can increase
their understanding of conditions, improve motivation and serve as a
clear differentiator for clinical care,” added Safavi.
Methodology
Accenture conducted an online survey of 9,015 adults ages 18+ to assess
consumer perceptions of their medical providers’ electronic capabilities
across nine countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, France,
Germany, Singapore, Spain and the United States. The survey, which
included 1,000 U.S. consumers, was fielded 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.
Learn more about Accenture’s
Insight Driven Health, Accenture
Connected Health Services and Delivering
Public Service for the Future.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and
outsourcing company, with more than 266,000 people serving clients in
more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience,
comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions,
and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies,
Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance
businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of
US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page
is www.accenture.com.
Through Accenture
Connected Health Services, the company helps health systems improve
collaboration and decision-making, while lowering costs, by delivering
healthcare IT solutions that enable consumer-centric care delivery and
improve operating models. Services combine extensive business and
clinical practices with a full range of healthcare IT capabilities,
including health information exchanges, electronic health records,
population analytics, mobility and telehealth platforms.
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