Survey: Physicians Want Better Electronic Access to Patient Data

Half of physicians said they feel that their electronic access to patient data—such as someone’s clinical history—could be much better, according to a new Surescripts report.

The report, Physician Perspectives on Access to Patient Data, points to improvements that are still needed and the types of information that are top priorities for physicians. The 15-minute web-based survey was administered by ORC International to 300 qualifying primary care physicians last October. To qualify for the survey, physicians had to have been in practice for at least five years, spend at least 50 percent of their time providing direct patient care for at least 100 patients a year and use an EHR (electronic health record)

The key findings among physician perspectives on the value of and access to medication adherence, clinical history and prescription price transparency information include:

• 83 percent of physicians see medication adherence information as a priority, yet only 17 percent can easily retrieve it electronically.
• Medication adherence information is the least trusted type of information among physicians.
• 56 percent of physicians see prescription price information as a priority, but only 11 percent can easily access it electronically.
• More than just a nice to have, physicians believe prescription price should impact prescribing decisions, and 59 percent want to be able to compare the price of therapeutic alternatives.
• 88 percent of physicians see patient clinical history as a priority, but just 30 percent have easy access to it electronically—a factor that impedes care coordination.