Health IT, Hospitals, Policy, Startups

Patients, physicians narrowing gap on consumer-driven care

Patients and consumers in healthcare are more inclined to incorporate new technologies into the delivery […]

Patients and consumers in healthcare are more inclined to incorporate new technologies into the delivery system than the physicians who administer most of the care, but the gap between the two is shrinking as more physicians embrace the consumer-driven model.

Dr. Eric Topol of Scripps Health, giving the keynote at this year’s Health 2.0 Conference in Silicon Valley, delivered that message to hundreds of providers, healthtech startups and others looking to redefine and disrupt healthcare for the better. The movement toward consumer-driven healthcare, what Dr. Topol described as the democratization of medicine, shouldn’t be all that surprising, he said, but it’s transpiring quickly and will only accelerate, so physicians shouldn’t act surprised. Instead, utilizing the myriad new technologies that can enhance the patient experience such as telehealth and mobile platforms will better position the doctor while likely creating better patient outcomes.

Dr. Topol’s presentation was part of a broader study from WebMD Health Corp. and Medscape that gauged both consumers and providers on attitudes toward technology and the evolving doctor-patient relationship.

The biggest gulf is within ownership of the medical record.

“While data show clear differences between patients and doctors in certain areas, most noticeably around who owns medical records, the two groups are coming ever closer in their embrace of new technology in medical practice,” said Dr. Topol.  “There is a growing understanding among physicians that patients have greater access to care and cost information and that is giving them greater voice in the decision-making process.”

Among the study’s findings:

– 84 percent of consumers versus 69 percent of doctors embrace technology to enhance and aide the diagnostic process.
– 64 percent of patients and 63 percent of physicians agree that the smartphone can be a useful diagnostic tool in regard to blood tests.
– With regard to using a smartphone to perform other tests, such as eye and ear examinations in place of an office visit, nearly one half of patients would consider doing so, while only about one-third of doctors would be willing to accept information from patients’ smartphones in place of office visits.
– There is overwhelming support among patients and physicians, at 96 percent each, around a patient’s right to see their lab and diagnostic test results.
– However, doctors feel that giving patients access to detailed electronic medical records could lead to anxiety about results, at 91 percent, and unnecessary requests for medical evaluations, at 84. But 93 percent of patients, on the other hand, feel this access will allow them to better manage their health.
– Importantly, 58 percent of patients and 77 percent of doctors agree that doctors should review test results before sharing with patients.
– The majority of patients, 58 percent, and doctors, 60 percent, don’t view privacy and security issues as barriers to using digital health technologies for communication, or for accessing and sharing electronic medical records.

“This study yielded many surprising areas of alignment and discordance among patients and the clinicians that care for them,” said Dr. Topol.

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