Patients See More Data Sharing Than Docs

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

According to an ONC brief, more than half of physicians share information with their patients while data sharing between providers has only increased slightly.

A recent ONC brief details the fact that, while 40 percent of providers share data with peers, more than only half report sharing data with patients electronically.

According to the report, 52 percent of physicians exchanged secure messages with their patients last year, a 30 percent increase since 2013. Additionally, there was a 42 percent increase in the number of physicians who gave patients access to view, download, or transmit their electronic health information between 2013 and 2014.

Between providers, there was a 7 percent increase in electronically shared patient health information. In 2014, four of 10 physicians reported electronically sharing patient health information with other providers.

Despite this, only 26 percent shared with unaffiliated ambulatory providers while another 11 percent shared but only with affiliated/internal ambulatory providers. Additionally, 9 percent of physicians shared patient data with an unaffiliated hospital; another 18 percent shared information with an affiliated hospital.

Fierce EMR reports experts further discovered providers who did not participate in the Meaningful Use program shared documents electronically even less. Only 12 percent of physicians had shared information with a home health provider, 11 percent with a behavioral health provider, and a like percentage with a long-term care provider.

“It is a national priority for a majority of individuals and providers along the care continuum to electronically send, receive, find, and use health information by 2017,” the brief states. “Although the proportion of physicians who electronically shared patient health information with other providers increased 7 percent between 2013 and 2014, only four in 10 physicians electronically shared patient health information with other providers in 2014. In contrast, physicians' electronic information sharing with patients had double-digit increases between 2013 and 2014.”