Surescripts Patient Survey Reveals Increasing Demand for a More Connected Healthcare Consumer Experience
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Surescripts Patient Survey Reveals Increasing Demand for a More Connected Healthcare Consumer Experience

December 16, 2016

Surescripts connects disparate audiences, uniting them to help reduce errors, improve quality and efficiency.  This means they use their network to help pharmacies, care providers, benefit managers, and technology partners communicate with each other and simplify the patient experience. For the second year in a row, Surescripts partnered with us to help identify the needs and pain points of Americans when they deal with healthcare issues.

To help infuse fresh ideas and up-and-coming topics, we started the study by conducting a trendscan. By looking at the latest information and trends in the health and technology space, we were able to identify potential question topics to address the most current needs of consumers. Using that as a platform, we developed a questionnaire with Surescripts which ultimately highlighted the expectations of patients – such as their desire for medical information to be stored electronically (94%), belief that they should only have to fill out paperwork the first time they visit a new provider (80%), and desire for doctors to start offering remote visits (52%). In fact, more than one-third (36%) believe most doctor visits will be remote in the next 10 years!

Please see the press release from Surescripts below to learn more about the rising expectations for healthcare.

ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Health data-sharing technology exists today, yet patients are increasingly frustrated with their healthcare experience, according to a recent survey by Surescripts, the nation’s leading health information network. The 2016 Connected Care and the Patient Experience survey found that patients are particularly dissatisfied with the lack of a central location for their health records, as well as the difficulty in accessing and sharing those records. Plus, they’re expecting to see digitized care settings in the very near future through the use of telehealth and other technologies.

“Despite major medical and technological advancements in our country, and the fact that patients are more active consumers of care, healthcare is still inefficient, complex and unsatisfying for them,” said Tom Skelton, Chief Executive Officer of Surescripts. “We’re helping provide a more positive consumer experience by improving quality and efficiency, and reducing costs through better data access and sharing.”

Recent Surescripts milestones in patient data sharing include:

  • Surescripts e-prescribing capabilities, including CompletEPA® for electronic prior authorization, have had a massively positive impact on cost, safety and efficiency, with more than 3,000 e-prescriptions sent across the United States every minute.
  • In 2015, Surescripts Medication History for Reconciliation may have saved hospitals more than $400 million and prevented more than 25,000 readmissions and 15,000 adverse drug events.
  • Since its launch this year, Surescripts National Record Locator Service received more than 4.5 million requests for patient locations and returned more than 890,000 locations of care summaries, including more than 15 million visit locations for care delivered by 109,000 providers.

Here are some notable patient insights from the survey results.

Patients overwhelmingly want their medical information electronically stored in a central location and easily accessed and shared.

Most patients (94 percent) feel their medical information and records should be stored electronically in a single location. This lack of central storage of electronic records forces patients to take matters into their own hands. In fact, 58 percent of patients have tried to compile their own complete medical history—a task that is not just tedious, but often inaccurate and incomplete.

Along with the desire for efficiency, patients feel that lives are at stake when their doctors don’t have access to their complete medication history. Most patients (93 percent) feel doctors would save time if their medication history was stored in one location, and 90 percent feel that this would make their doctor less likely to prescribe the wrong medication.

Patients are increasingly dissatisfied with the amount of time and effort they’re spending on recounting medical information and waiting in doctors’ offices or pharmacies.

Increasingly long wait times and spending time on paperwork rather than interacting with their providers is frustrating for patients. They’re typically spending an average of 8 minutes telling their doctor their medical history (up from 6 minutes in 2015) and 8 minutes filling out paperwork at a typical doctor visit (up from 6 minutes in 2015). Four out of 5 patients (80 percent) feel they should only have to complete this paperwork the first time they visit a new provider. These repeat scenarios often stem from a lack of patient data access and information exchange between providers.

Patients increasingly prefer and expect new and innovative ways to receive care and get prescriptions.

Within a more consumer-centric healthcare marketplace, patients are playing a more active role in their care plans. They want more choices for how and where they receive care through alternatives like telehealth, mobile and other electronic means. More than half (52 percent) of patients expect doctors to start offering remote visits, and more than one third (36 percent) believe most doctor appointments will be remote in the next ten years. Patients also expect to use telehealth to receive their prescriptions from their doctor (61 percent) and would trust a prescription from a remote doctor (64 percent).

The 2016 Connected Care and Patient Experience survey was conducted by Kelton Global from June 16-23, 2016, with participation from more than 1,000 adult Americans.

About Surescripts
Surescripts is committed to unleashing the potential of American healthcare by creating a more connected and collaborative healthcare system. Our nationwide health information network connects doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacists and health plans through an integrated and technology-neutral platform. For more information, go to www.surescripts.com and follow us at twitter.com/surescripts.

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