In Brief: Patients Willing To Switch Doctors For EHR Access; Aetna Fined $18K

Study: Many Patients Willing To Switch Doctors For EHR Access 

A large number of U.S. consumers would be willing to switch physicians in order to gain access to their electronic health records, although a far smaller number of physicians believe they should have such access, according to a new study by Accenture.

The survey of 1,000 individuals in the U.S. and more than 8,000 in eight other countries conducted last July concluded that 41% of consumers would be willing to switch doctors in order to gain access to their EHR. And 84% of those consumers surveyed say they should have full access to their medical records.

“The rise of Meaningful Use mandates and a growing trend of self-care among consumers is shifting the role of an EMR from a mere clinical repository to a platform for shared decision-making among consumers and doctors,” said Kaveh Safavi, M.D., managing director of Accenture’s North America healthcare business. “Just as consumers can self-manage most other aspects of their lives, theyexpect to take greater ownership of their medical care, and they are willing to switch to doctors who share their values and are willing to provide access to consumer records.”

A survey conducted by Accenture in conjunction with Harris Polling earlier this year found that 93% of physicians use some form of electronic health record system, with 78% routinely entering patient notes electronically.

By contrast, only 36% of physicians surveyed in a different poll believe consumers should have full access to their EHRs, compared to the 65% who say patients should have only limited access. Some 64% of patients say limited access is exactly what they have – with 37% having no access at all.

“When consumers are part of the record-keeping process, it can increase their understanding of conditions, improve motivation and serve as a clear differentiator for clinical care,” Safavi said.

DMHC Fines Aetna $18,000 For Failure To Respond To Grievance

The California Department of Managed Health Care has levied an administrative penalty and an $18,000 fine against insurer Aetna for failure to respond to an enrollee's grievances.

According to DMHC records, Aetna never responded to five grievances the enrollee had contacted it about regarding out-of-pocket expenses originally lodged in 2010. It was also penalized for four other regulatory violations related to its failure to respond. 

Aetna agreed to a plan of corrective actions, although they were not specifically delineated in the settlement agreement.

The fine is far larger than the typical $2,500 to $5,000 penalties typically levied for not responding to enrollee grievances in a timely manner. 

Aetna has received 82 administrative penalties from the DMHC since 2001.

Aetna, which is based in Hartford, Conn., has about 58,000 individual health plan enrollees in California. It stopped selling coverage the individuals in California in July.