Americans Worry About Privacy
Healthcare consumers view the shift from paper record-keeping to electronic patient records as the most serious current threat to medical privacy, according to a new study by the California HealthCare Foundation.
Although Americans trust their doctors and hospitals with confidential medical information, they fear disclosure when it is handled and stored by private health insurance plans.
The report highlights the need for targeted public education campaigns that address how new information technologies will ensure adequate safeguards for protecting medical records.
Key findings include:
- 54 percent of U.S. adults and 52 percent of California residents say the shift to computer-based systems from paper record-keeping makes it difficult for keeping medical records private.
- Only 18 percent of U.S. adults and 20 percent of California residents believe a healthcare provider, insurance plan, government agency or employer has ever violated their medical privacy.
(California HealthCare Foundation, Ron Gray, 916/446-6667, http://www.chcf.org)
Online Demand Explodes
Physicians are using the Internet 300 percent more than two years ago, according to a new study by Healtheon Corp., an Internet technology firm in Santa Clara, Calif. The findings point to the need to make your Web site physician-friendly, with targeted content and interactive tools.
Physicians are also increasingly interested in online access to clinical and patient information. Other study highlights show:
- A dramatic rise in communication between physicians and patients via email;
- The top reasons that physicians surf the Net are for email, personal services, educational purposes, medical journal access and communication with specialty medical societies;
- Inpatient physicians tend to be more focused on receiving hospital-based clinical content; outpatient physicians rank access to payers, outpatient labs and continuing medical education as valuable Internet capabilities.
For three years, Healtheon has researched more than 10,000 physicians to measure their attitudes, needs and expectations of technology, particularly the Web. Complete findings will be presented at its "Physicians on the Internet" conference, May 5-7 in San Francisco.
(Healtheon, Sarah Lynne Cross, 408/876-5261, http://www.healtheon.com)
Pa. Gets Serious About Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is the focus of a major public health awareness campaign in Pennsylvania, involving partnerships with physicians, healthcare organizations and elected officials.
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in Pittsburgh launched a statewide public education initiative last month to increase public understanding of domestic violence and to encourage members of the health plan who are victims of abuse to seek the necessary medical care.
Beginning with a 30-second PSA that airs on local Lifetime and USA networks, the high-profile campaign will be supported with a traveling exhibit, a hospital fundraiser and a physician education effort.
Domestic violence facts highlighted by the campaign are:
- Domestic violence in the U.S. results in almost 100,000 days of hospitalization, 30,000 ER visits and 40,000 physician visits annually, according to the American Medical Association.
- Approximately 28 percent of women seen in ambulatory care clinics have been battered at some time in their lives.
- An estimated $4 billion is spent annually in the U.S. on medical expenses resulting from domestic violence; costs in Pennsylvania amount to $326.6 million annually.
(Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Jean Edwards, 412/544-8888, http://www.highmark.com)