Oct. 3, 2012

Health information technology (IT) and electronic health information sharing play critical and foundational roles in addressing the cost, quality, and access challenges of the U.S. health care system.

One reason that costs are high and health care quality suffers is that care is typically delivered in a fragmented delivery structure—in silos. Medicare patients see, on average, seven physicians, including five specialists, split among four different physician practices. Lack of care coordination results in both gaps and duplications in care and often leads to overtreatment, costing the United States between $148 and $226 billion annually.

This report explores ways to accelerate electronic health information sharing—that is, access to patient information by clinicians and all members of the care team, regardless of care setting, while safeguarding the privacy and security of health information.

To inform these findings and recommendations, BPC collaborated with Doctors Helping Doctors Transform Health Care (Doctors Helping Doctors) to conduct a survey designed to gather clinicians’ perspectives on their needs and preferences regarding electronic health information sharing, specifically to support care transitions (when a patient’s care is “handed off” from one clinician to another).

Attached files

• Read the full report (1.68MB PDF)

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Report, Health Project