It’s Time for Consumers to Get Serious about Their EMRs

A new survey shows that many consumers are willing to switch doctors in order to get access to medical data

A recent survey shows that a large number of US consumers (41 percent) are willing to switch doctors in order to get complete access to their medical records. And patient education and increased patient engagement is to blame for this. Doctors, although are not showing the same enthusiasm.

The survey covered over 9000 people in nine countries. Few key findings of the report are:

• Only About one-third (36 percent) of consumers have access to their EMR
• Amongst those who have, more than 57 percent have taken ownership of their medical records by self-tracking personal health information, including health history such as physical activity and health indicators such as blood pressure, weight etc.