U.S. health information exchanges see consumer engagement as a top priority, according to a survey from the National eHealth Collaborative, CMIO reports (Walsh, CMIO, 7/24).
The survey was distributed to 450 members of the National eHealth Collaborative's HIE Learning Network (NeHC release, 7/24).
Key Findings
According to the survey, 53% of respondents ranked consumer engagement as high or very high in their organization's priorities, while only 3% ranked it as very low in priority.
The survey found that while about 33% of respondents said their organization's strategies for consumer engagement with health IT are not clearly defined, 59% said their organization is developing clear consumer engagement strategies.
Efforts to Improve Patient Engagement
When asked about the approaches their organization is using to boost patient engagement:
- 53% of respondents cited delivering information electronically to patients;
- 47% cited offering patient portals;
- 43% cited providing marketing or educational materials electronically; and
- 31% cited offering personal health records.
Goals for Consumer Engagement
When asked about their organization's major goals for consumer engagement with health IT:
- 68% of respondents cited improving health outcomes;
- 66% cited delivering information to patients;
- 59% cited enabling consumers to take more responsibility for their health;
- 59% cited reducing health care costs; and
- 57% cited improving consumers' experience in interacting with their organization (Walsh, CMIO, 7/24).