Survey: 81 Percent of Patients would Encourage Docs to Use HIE

A survey of 1,000 consumers in Western New York has revealed that 81 percent of patients would recommend HEALTHeLINK, the region’s health information exchange (HIE), to their doctors.

In September, HEALTHeLINK conducted a survey among 1,000 consumers in the eight-county region of Western New York to gauge attitudes and opinion about the efficacy and awareness of the electronic sharing of patient clinical data. The data showed that 27 percent of respondents “feel strongly” with another 59 percent saying “yes” that the healthcare system in Western New York is providing a “high level” of care.

Meanwhile, 90 percent of respondents said they knew that their doctor uses electronic health records (EHRs) and this remained at a high level among all demographic groups. And, 51 percent said that the use of EHRs by doctors and hospitals makes healthcare “more safe” while 18 percent said “less safe,” and 24 percent said it makes “no impact.” There was an uptick for “more safe” among those who were aware of HEALTHeLINK (57 percent).

What’s more, 88 percent said they were aware that their doctor can send/receive medical information to and from other healthcare providers involved in their care using EHRs. More than half (56 percent) of respondents said that they were aware of the name HEALTHeLINK, with 41 percent saying they were not aware, and 2 percent unsure.

When asked if they would be willing to encourage their physician or healthcare provider to use HEALTHeLINK so that other physicians that treat them have instant, accurate and safe access to their medical records, 24 percent said strongly “yes” and 57 percent “yes,” for a total of 81 percent.

Regarding consent, 46 percent said that they knew if they or a member of their family had signed a consent form that allows physicians access to their health information through HEALTHeLINK. Another 37 percent said “no” and 16 percent “weren’t sure.”

Consumers were also asked if they thought their doctors spend too much time on laptops during patient visits. To this question, 37 percent said “yes”, while 11 percent said “strongly yes” and 60 percent said “no.”