National Survey Reveals That Americans Want to Go Digital When it Comes to Their Health Care

By nearly a 3 to 1 margin, American adults believe the benefits of

electronic medical records outweigh any potential risks

    WASHINGTON, May 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Though their direct
 experience with electronic medical records is limited, U.S. health care
 consumers show strong interest in utilizing them further, according to a
 new national survey about Americans' awareness of, and acceptance towards,
 health information technology released today at the Health IT: Unlocking
 the Potential summit in Washington, D.C.
     The survey, which was conducted by StrategyOne, an independent public
 opinion research company, on behalf of Kaiser Permanente, found that
 American adults favor providers (51% over 17%) and insurance carriers (68%
 over 16%) who use electronic medical records over those who do not.
     It confirms what past surveys have found that large numbers of
 Americans are seeking out general health information online through Web
 sites such as Web MD. It also shows that those online searches are
 increasingly focusing on the location and management of personal health
 information. And while approximately one in ten (12%) of Americans
 currently review their personal medical records on their health insurance
 company's Web site, over half say they would like to be able to check
 claims and coverage (56%) or access personal records (51%) electronically
 in the future.
     "It is clear that Americans are ready to enter a digital health care
 age," said George Halvorson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Foundation Health
 Plan, Inc.
     American adults overwhelmingly believe (at 72%) that a computer system
 is more efficient than a paper system when it comes to managing medical
 records. But there is still some ambiguity about the relative security of
 electronic medical records compared to paper records. Forty seven percent
 of Americans say paper is more secure, compared to 42% who believe
 electronic records are more secure.
     However, nearly three in four Americans (73%) believe the benefits of
 electronic records, such as better care in emergencies and reduction in
 medical errors, outweigh any potential privacy risks.
     While interest in this technology is clearly high, not enough
 information is being shared with patients about its value to their own
 health care. Over half of those surveyed (57%) did not recall seeing,
 hearing or reading about electronic records before being surveyed.
     Myrl Weinberg, President of the National Health Council, believes that
 patient awareness of the benefits of electronic medical and health records
 "will be the key to wider adoption." "The more familiar patients get with
 this technology, the more they will see its relevance to their own lives."
     For a complete overview of the survey's findings, visit
 http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/.
     About the Survey
     This survey was conducted by StrategyOne, an independent public opinion
 research company, on behalf of Kaiser Permanente. Data were collected via
 telephone among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 American
 adults, 18 years of age and older, using a random digit dialing (RDD)
 methodology. The overall margin of error for this survey is � 3.1% at the
 95% confidence interval.
     About Kaiser Permanente
     Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded
 in 1945, it is a not-for-profit, group practice prepayment program
 headquartered in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care
 needs of more than 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of
 Columbia. Today it encompasses the not-for-profit Kaiser Foundation Health
 Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the
 for-profit Permanente Medical Groups. Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente
 includes approximately 154,000 technical, administrative and clerical
 employees and caregivers, and more than 12,000 physicians representing all
 specialties. For more information on Kaiser Permanente, please visit
 http://www.kaiserpermanente.org
     About StrategyOne
     StrategyOne is an independent, full-service corporate positioning,
 market research and strategic communications agency with offices in
 Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, and London. StrategyOne analysts
 have backgrounds in political research and polling, journalism, public
 relations, advertising, and library science. They have directed and
 analyzed public opinion and market research projects for a number of
 corporate, association, international and political clients and many have
 been tapped as public opinion experts for major print and broadcast news
 outlets. StrategyOne's clients include NOAA, the Centers for Disease
 Control and Prevention, Pfizer, Microsoft, Nissan, Michelin, the Panama
 Canal Authority, Biotechnology Industry Organization, GE, Unilever,
 Wal-Mart, the National Association of Broadcasters, and the Association of
 American Railroads.
 
 

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente