Majority of Patients Concerned With Health Information Theft

HealthDay News — Forty-four percent of US adults are worried about having their personal health care information stolen, according to findings from the Xerox eHealth Survey published in HIT Consultant.¹

Noting that in 2016, more than one data breach was reported each day, the Xerox survey polled more than 3,000 US adults aged 18 years and older about their perceptions in relation to health care information security.

According to the survey, nearly half of Americans (44%) are worried about having their personal health care information stolen. In addition, 76% of adults believe it would be safer to share health care information through a secure electronic method, instead of faxing papers. Patients also believe that sharing information between providers can improve care coordination and reduce wait times for tests and diagnoses, with 87% believing that the quality of service of health care providers would improve with better information sharing and coordination, and 87% believing that wait times would decrease. Furthermore, 19% of Americans would rather wait in line at the DMV than coordinate between different doctors’ offices to ensure they have all of their records and health information.

“It is clear patients are frustrated by the lack of care coordination and disjointed processes,” Cees Van Doorn, a senior vice president at Xerox, said in the article.

Reference

1. Pennic J. Xerox: nearly half of Americans worry their personal healthcare information will be stolen. HIT Consultant. Published online February 9, 2017. Accessed February 27, 2017.