More than 70% of U.S. adults think the country's health care system should be completely changed and a large majority want their care to include health IT, according to a survey released by the Commonwealth Fund, CMIO reports (Byers, CMIO, 4/8).
The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, surveyed 1,011 adults between Feb. 7 and Feb. 11. It found that most adults reported problems with accessing health care services and care coordination (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 4/6).
Key Health IT-Related Findings
The survey also found that:
- 92% of respondents said it is important or very important for physicians to be able to share data electronically with other physicians;
- 88% of respondents said it is important or very important for physicians to use electronic health records; and
- 85% of respondents said they support policies that would improve care coordination and provide access to transparent information about health care costs and quality (CMIO, 4/8).
Among respondents with Internet access, the survey found that:
- 34% said they can order refills for prescription drugs online;
- 22% said they can schedule physician appointments online;
- 21% said they can e-mail their physician; and
- 14% said they can access their medical records online (CQ HealthBeat, 4/6).
Of the respondents who cannot perform any of those functions online, half said they would like electronic access to their medical records and more than half said they would like to e-mail their physicians and schedule appointments online (CMIO, 4/8).