Is a Shift to E-Medical Records Imminent?

Published: July 25, 2005. Although privacy concerns are still an issue, a new survey finds that many consumers are coming around to the idea of electronic medical records.

In January, President Bush called on doctors and hospitals to move their medical records from paper to electronic files, a change he said would improve medical care while significantly reducing the nation's spiraling health care bill. Quoting health experts, he said that shifting to e-medical records could reduce medical costs as much as 20% and save lives.

In fact, in his 2004 State of the Union address, President Bush challenged the nation to completely eliminate paper medical records within 10 years.Political rhetoric notwithstanding, it has long been held by many authorities in the medical industry that migrating to e-medical records — essentially making patients' medical histories available online — would be impossible due the overwhelming privacy concerns of health care consumers. But a Medical Internet, which would allow the confidential transmission of patient records instantly between health care facilities and doctors' offices, may not be as fantastical as once thought.Consumers seem to be changing their minds.

In a survey of more than 500 US health care consumers, conducted by Accenture, a majority of consumers now believe that e-medical records can provide valuable benefits — especially during medical emergencies — and improve overall medical care."Our research indicates that consumers have become aware of the potential benefits of electronic medical records, and we believe this shift creates opportunities for health providers and health plans to take steps toward implementing electronic medical record systems," said Lewis Redd, a partner in Accenture's Health & Life Sciences practice. "This awareness is relatively new, and we see the potential for an environment where consumers will begin to exert more influence over the speed at which these systems are adopted across the health care arena."

In a reversal of prior attitudes, the survey found that privacy and cost issues related to electronic medical records are not as great of a concern to consumers as previously thought.

Surprisingly, while 54% of the respondents said they were concerned about the privacy and security of their paper records, about the same number (55%) said they believe that electronic records are more secure than paper. In addition, more than half (52%) of survey respondents said they would be willing to pay at least $5 per month to have their medical records stored in an electronic format.

In addition, the survey found that:93% believe e-medical records would improve the quality of care92% believe e-medical records would reduce the number of treatment errors in hospitals75% believe e-medical records would lower health care costs overall78% believe e-medical records would reduce the amount of time patients spend waiting in doctors' offices and emergency roomsIf corroborated, these figures represent a significant shift in attitudes, and they may signal the beginning of a nationwide move toward e-medical recordkeeping.For more information on this subject, read eMarketer's report, US Physicians: Technology and Trends.