A new survey by Washington, D.C.-based URAC reveals that despite a continued and growing focus on health information technology by the medical management industry, the ability of consumers to access their information on-line remains low due to the cost of developing appropriate web-portals and other business and security-related concerns.
The URAC 2010 Population Health/Care Management Survey is the third survey of medical management organizations conducted by URAC to assess current industry trends and identify potential issues coming near the future.
Preliminary analysis of the survey has found:
- Despite a majority of respondents predicting an increase in demand for consumer-directed programs through internet portals, the percentage of companies indicating that consumers can currently access their cases through an online portal remains low.
- The number companies scanning medical records into their medical information systems is growing, and respondents project an increase in the use of data from Electronic Health Records for care management review.
“The medical management industry continues to innovate to meet the needs of the changing health care system,” said Alan P. Spielman, President and CEO of URAC. “Changes outlined in recent health care reform legislation emphasize the delivery of high quality care and promote integration of services across the care continuum. These preliminary results suggest that progress is being made to integrate the use of technology for care coordination. The next step must be to share this information with patients to empower them to make informed decisions regarding their health care.”
