FEB 17, 2012 10:42am ET

ONC to Survey Patients About EHR Privacy

The Office of the National Coordinator for HIT will launch a five-year national survey, totaling 10,000 interviews, to assess patient attitudes about the privacy and security of electronic health records and health information exchange.

ONC expects to conduct 2,000 annual telephone surveys to determine the percentage of individuals with privacy/security concerns and the degree to which patients are keeping any part of their medical history from their doctor, according to a notice available here and being published on Feb. 21.

“ONC will access whether these numbers increase, remain steady or decrease from 2012 (pre-implementation) to 2016 (post-implementation) in support of the ONC Coordinated Federal Health I.T. Strategic Plan to engage consumers and inspire confidence and trust in health I.T.,” the agency explains.

Data Security