Mike Miliard, Managing Editor
Mike Miliard is Managing Editor at Healthcare IT News. Mike covers topics such as health information exchange, privacy and security, analytics and ICD-10. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeMiliardHITN.
Americans want docs to be online
CARY, NC | March 3, 2011
A new survey from Intuit Health, the developer of patient portal and communication technology, finds two major trends when it comes to Americans and their healthcare: they're worried about their medical bills, and they expect their physicians to be easily accessible online.
Intuit's second annual Health Care Check-Up Survey shows that Americans are now accustomed to paying bills online – and they expect that same convenience and connectivity from their doctor’s office.
[See also: Intuit buys Medfusion.]
Seventy-three percent of Americans surveyed would use a secure online communication solution to make it easier to get lab results, request appointments, pay medical bills, and communicate with their doctor’s office, the poll finds.
Significantly, that "anytime, anywhere" access is so important that nearly half of patients would consider switching doctors for a practice that offered online services such as those.
In addition to those findings, the Intuit survey shows that rising healthcare costs continue to be a major concern for people.
- Seventy percent said they are somewhat or very concerned about managing their health care bills, the same percentage as last year.
- Two-thirds believe their health care costs will increase in the future.
- Sixty-two percent said their healthcare costs increased in 2010.
Baby Boomers were most concerned with rising costs: 66 percent said their costs have increased and 72 percent are most concerned with rising costs in the future. That's compared with 59 percent of Gen Y and Gen X respondents who said their healthcare costs have increased, and 62 percent who were concerned with rising costs in the future.
“Patient anxiety is rising," said Steve Malik, president and general manager of Intuit Health. "They want some measure of control, convenience and better communication with their doctor. Doctors who offer secure online solutions can meet this patient demand while increasing office efficiency and enhancing the doctor-patient relationship."
Malik added that "online solutions, like a patient portal, have proven to improve staff and patient satisfaction levels, while positively impacting the physician’s bottom line by reducing patient no-shows and increasing the speed at which payments are received."
[See also: Intuit Health makes its debut.]
The survey confirmed that increasing consumer utilization and comfort with online solutions is extending to healthcare.
Specifically, the ability to easily connect with their doctor remains an issue for patients. Nearly 20 percent of Americans feel they cannot easily reach their doctor’s office to ask questions, make appointments or obtain lab results. Moreover:
Showing 6 Comments
Kathrynw say: Yes and No
March 11, 2011 | 11:02 AM GMT
While it is probably true that, "Seventy-three percent of Americans surveyed would use a secure online communication solution to make it easier to get lab results, request appointments, pay medical bills, and communicate with their doctor’s office" (according to the poll), I think the operative word used here is "secure".
I would *like* to have a secure method to communicate with my doctors office. I would also *like* to have confidence that the communication is, indeed, secure.
How can that be accomplished? How will we, as health consumers, know which doctor's offices have taken the necessary steps to secure our information and which have not?
THAT, is the big question.
darrelldk say: But do informed Americans want docs to be online?
March 06, 2011 | 16:46 PM GMT
“Seventy-three percent of Americans surveyed would use a secure online communication solution to make it easier to get lab results, request appointments, pay medical bills, and communicate with their doctor’s office, the poll finds.” - Mike Miliard, HealthcareITnews.
What a deal! Why not 100%? Until I read Milliard’s article, I was unaware that HealthcareITNews had become a press release portal for HIT vendors like Intuit Health which funded the study. I admit I was momentarily fooled by the presence of a byline.
One doesn’t have to read very far into Milliard’s statement to uncover stakeholder bias: As long as patients’ unencrypted health information is being increasingly shared on the internet using the tools Intuit sells, there are no “secure online communication solutions” that Milliard seems to take for granted. What’s more, since most breaches are reportedly caused by malicious intent, it’s easy to see that even encryption won’t completely stop reportable data breaches of PHI.
In spite of increased enforcement and recent million dollar HIPAA fines, breach incidents continue to increase - not decrease. In addition, even though a link to the Intuit-funded survey isn’t offered, it’s obviously unlikely that the respondents were asked how much more they would be willing to pay for healthcare to enjoy the high-tech luxuries Intuit appears to be selling to doctors through misinformed patients - a cheap, old school PR trick that is traditionally resented by healthcare providers because of ethics.
In fairness, what if in addition to the HIT stakeholder’s favorite parts about high-tech, the respondents in the survey had also been provided the frightening results of Redspin’s “Breach Report 2010 - Protected Health Information”?
http://www.redspin.com/docs/WP_Redspin_2010_Protected_Health_Information...
“A total of 225 breaches of protected health information affecting 6,067,751 individuals have been recorded since the interim final breach notification regulation was issued in August 2009 as part of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act” (Executive Summary). And as mentioned earlier, according to the study, 61% of breaches stem from malicious intent. I think the 27% of the respondents in the survey that aren’t so crazy about slippery digital products may be about the same percentage of Americans who have suffered identity thefts Probably a coincidence.
Just before hinting (but not actually stating) that EHRs will save patients money on doctors’ bills, Mike Milliard enthusiastically writes: “Significantly, that ‘anytime, anywhere’ access is so important that nearly half of patients would consider switching doctors for a practice that offered online services such as those.”
Steve Malik, president and general manager of Intuit Health is apparently not as concerned as Milliard about understating the cost of interoperability: "[O]nline solutions, like a patient portal, have proven to improve staff and patient satisfaction levels, while positively impacting the physician’s bottom line by reducing patient no-shows and increasing the speed at which payments are received."
Before anyone gets upset about the vendor’s additional unprecedented and unsupported claims about the benefits of Intuit’s products, remember, it’s just a press release.
D. Kellus Pruitt
Tech4Pharm say: sign of the times
March 04, 2011 | 16:45 PM GMT
Everyone is online. It shocks me that my doctors don't have an online appointment/scheduling, billing, and records system. My doctors don't even check their email. There are some very simple tools that doctors could use to streamline their practice and keep their patients informed (and healthy). For example: Patients should be able to see the results of their blood work and even tracked graphically over time, patients should see when they visited and what was the visit for, patients should see the last time they received a prescription, etc. All of this information is simple and should be made available.
Alan Roga say: Physicians Perspective
March 04, 2011 | 12:38 PM GMT
Patients do recognize the value and convenience of online communication with physicians. This survey shows Americans are concerned with rising healthcare costs and want and need more efficient and affordable care. For years I’ve seen patients end up in my emergency department because they can’t get a same day appointment with their primary care physician or because their financial situation impacts their decision to proactively seek medical care until they are in dire need of immediate medical intervention. As physicians, it is important that we respond to our patient’s needs by providing 24/7 online access to high quality, affordable care to reduce unnecessary costs and get patients healthier faster.
Alan C. Roga, M.D.
Stat Doctors
skater1 say: On Line MD Practices
March 04, 2011 | 09:47 AM GMT
This is the truth. Medicine is archiac in the way we practice when it comes to appointments and billing. Most of this is done via phone and snail mail. I am somewhat older and I do all of my correspondence on-line and I like the convenience of being able to contact someone 24-7 or at least being able to send a message. In a working culture individuals do not always have time to make the calls or site on a phone going through menus that can be miles long. There are some physicians and hospitals out there who have already gone to patient portals and in speaking to people who are patients, they love them. This is the way of the future. This is what the patients of the future want.
nrenicker say: darrelldk brings an
darrelldk brings an interesting balance to this article and discussion (below). I would be very interested in seeing a similar study performed by an unbiased technology surveyor.