Technology – more and more patients want their doctors to go digital.
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Many doctors are refusing or failing to provide patients with the digital access that patients desire.
While there seems to be a clear trend towards technological advances – with electronic medical records and meaningful use Stage 2 pushes – doctors are still not giving patients what they want.
A recent report showed that over 37% of patients claim their doctors offered none of six digital services examined.
Some of the main categories the study looked at were:
- Secure messaging,
- Online appointment scheduling,
- Online test results, and
- Sending of follow-up messages.
61% of patients consider digital health services to be important or somewhat important in choosing their doctor. We help our clients stay on top of current trends to keep their patients happy.
While many practices have adopted some type of electronic medical record – that is the extent of their technological advancements. But that isn’t enough for their patients.
65% of patients want digital health services to be offered by their doctors.
Only 30% of doctors routinely used capabilities for secure messaging with their patients, and even less physicians have the capabilities to allow patients to view, download, or transmit health records.
Despite these alarming statistics, most doctors say they are not against the shift towards technology.
So why the resistance?
There are clearly barriers to implementing the technology that patients desire. These advances are both expensive and time consuming. We help our clients determine the most cost effective and efficient ways to get their practices up to date.
In our next blog post, we will keep you informed of related issues. To get this important information delivered directly to your mail box, Click here to Subscribe
Do you need help with your electronic medical records or attesting to Stage 2 meaningful use? We can help. To contact us about EMRs, meaningful use, or your other legal needs: CLICK HERE.
P.S. If you or your patients are interested in consumer healthcare issues, check out myhealthspin.com.
