Dive Brief:
- The CommonWell Health Alliance announced earlier this week that it will give patients access to their health information via the CommonWell network.
- Patients will soon be able to enroll with CommonWell, link their health records, and view their information whenever they want.
- Eight CommonWell partners have already committed to cooperating with CommonWell to provide these services.
Dive Insight:
CommonWell Health Alliance, a nonprofit trade association, is working with its members to provide patients electronic access to their health information by the end of the year. Cerner, athenahealth, and RelayHealth are among eight CommonWell members who will offer access through their patient portals.
Providing patients with easy access to their health information has been the focus of several federal health initiatives. However, this task isn’t always an easy one. In a survey cited by CommonWell, 53% of respondents said they couldn’t access all of their health information online.
However, offering access is only part of the problem. When patients have access to their health information, they don’t necessarily use it.
CommonWell believes that developing interoperability and improving user experiences will encourage more patients to access their health information and become more active participants in their healthcare. CEO Jitin Asnaani recently spoke to Healthcare Dive about some of the barriers to interoperability that should be addressed.