Health plans participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program have increased their use of IT and given policyholders greater access to personal health data, according to an Office of Personnel Management report, Federal Times reports (Johnson, Federal Times, 11/14).
The report is based on information submitted by 207 health plans participating in the program this year (Lee, Federal News Radio, 11/14).
Key Findings
According to the report, 92% of federal employee health plans have taken "proactive steps" to make users comfortable and informed about organizing and sharing their health information online.
The report also found that 97% of plans offer personal health records to let members view data online, up from 51% in 2007. However, 83% of plans that offer PHRs reported that less than 5% of their members have used their PHRs (Lapin, NextGov, 11/15).
The report also found that:
- 75% of plans allow physicians to electronically prescribe;
- 75% of plans offer online hospital and physician quality comparison tools; and
- 59% of plans provide online cost estimate or comparison tools (Federal Times, 11/14).