Email Uappoint at info@uappoint.com
UAppoint: Smart Patient Scheduling

Few Patients Use Online Services, But Most Want Them, Poll Finds

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE
September 12, 2006

 

Three-quarters of Americans say they would like to be able to schedule doctor's visits or get appointment reminders online, but most say such services aren't available to them, a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive health-care poll found.

The online poll of 2,624 adults found that a majority of Americans would like to use other electronic health-care services as well. For example, 74% would like to use email to communicate directly with their doctor, and 67% would like to receive the results of diagnostic tests via email.

However, three-quarters of respondents said such services aren't available to them. Only 2% of those polled said they use electronic medical records to capture medical information or receive diagnostic tests results by email. Four percent said they receive email reminders when they are due for a doctors' visit or other medical care and 3% said they schedule doctor's visits online.

The availability of online services could influence how patients choose health-care providers, the poll also indicates. If given a choice between a doctor who provides an electronic medical record and one who doesn't, 54% said this would influence their choice of doctors "a great deal" or "to some extent," compared with about a third who said it would influence their choice "not much" or "not at all."

--Beckey Bright

 

"Which of the following technologies would you like to have access to when seeking care from a doctor or hospital?"

Base: All adults

  Yes, Would Like No, Would Not Like Not Sure
An electronic medical record to capture medical information 64% 18% 19%
Email to communicate directly with my doctor 74 14 13
The ability to schedule a doctor's visit via the Internet 75 14 11
Receiving the results of diagnostic tests via email 67 22 11
A home monitoring device that allows me to send medical information -- like blood pressure readings or blood tests -- to the doctor's office via the telephone or email 57 21 22
Reminders via email from my doctors when you are due for a visit or some type of medical care 77 13 9

Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.

 

"To what extent do you use, or have access to, the following?"

Base: All adults

  I Use it Now It's Available to Me but I Don't Use it It Isn't Available to Me Not Sure
An electronic medical record to capture medical information 2% 3% 73% 22%
Email to communicate directly with my doctor 4 4 73 19
The ability to schedule a doctor's visit via the Internet 3 4 75 18
Receiving the results of diagnostic tests via email 2 3 76 19
A home monitoring device that allows me to send medical information -- like blood pressure readings or blood tests -- to the doctor's office via the telephone or email 2 3 76 19
Reminders via email from my doctors when you are due for a visit or some type of medical care 4 3 74 19

 

"How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?"

Base: All adults who are online

  Agree Strongly/ Somewhat (Net) Agree Strongly Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly/ Somewhat (Net) Disagree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Not Sure
The use of electronic medical records can significantly decrease the frequency of medical errors. 2006 55% 20% 35% 21% 15% 6% 24%
2005 62 21 41 26 20 6 12
The use of electronic medical records can significantly reduce health-care costs. 2006 60 25 34 16 11 5 25
2005 73 32 41 14 10 4 13
The use of electronic medical records makes it more difficult to ensure patients' privacy. 2006 62 24 38 23 17 6 15
2005 67 27 40 24 19 6 9
The use of electronic medical records can improve the quality of care patients receive by reducing the number of redundant or unnecessary tests and procedures they receive. 2006 68 30 38 12 8 3 20
2005 76 34 42 13 9 5 11

Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.

 

"If you could choose between two doctors, but only one used the following types of information technology in his or her practice, how much would this influence your choice of doctors?"

Base: All adults

  A Great Deal/To Some Extent (Net) A Great Deal To Some Extent Not Much/Not at All (Net) Not Much Not at All Not Sure
An electronic medical record to capture medical information 54% 18% 36% 34% 17% 17% 12%
Email to communicate directly with me or a family member 62 23 38 29 15 14 9

Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.

Methodology: Harris Interactive conducted this online survey within the U.S. Sept. 5-7, 2006, among a national cross section of 2,624 adults. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95% certainty that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. This online sample is not a probability sample.

 

About UAppoint, Inc.

UAppoint was founded in 2004 with the mission to help dental practices provide exceptional service to patients beyond the treatment room. Based in Palo Alto, California, the company specializes in smart patient scheduling solutions. For more information about UAppoint, visit www.uappoint.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Suzy Lazarus
UAppoint, Inc.
Toll Free: (888) 822-2778
pr@uappoint.com

Home   Benefits   How It Works   Pricing   Get Started   FAQ  
Copyright © 2008 by UAppoint, Inc. All rights reserved.
United States Patent No. 7,174,303.