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Time Warner Cable Business Class: Consumers Concerned When Health Records Stored Electronically

Posted on: Thursday, 15 February 2007, 12:00 CST

Eighty-three percent of patients are concerned about the security and privacy of their health records while these records are electronically stored and accessed, according to a recent survey from Time Warner Cable Business Class.

Increasing numbers of U.S. healthcare institutions are implementing electronic health records (EHR) in order to improve productivity and provide a higher quality of patient care. These providers now must address the privacy and security of these electronic records.

"Health care providers can't ignore these consumer concerns," said Marc Holland, program director of Health Provider Research for Health Industry Insights, an IDC company. In 2006, Health Industry Insights revealed remarkably similar survey findings on consumer attitudes regarding healthcare information technology.

"While patients may not yet fully understand the benefits of EHR, they are understandably fearful of its risks," Holland added.

The online survey, commissioned by Time Warner Cable Business Class to better understand consumer viewpoints on EHR, also revealed that 70 percent of consumers will consider how a medical care facility handles the security and privacy of EHR when choosing a provider.

"Healthcare companies must address EHR privacy and security concerns -- or run the risk of losing patients," said Ken Fitzpatrick, senior vice president of Time Warner Cable Business Services. "They have both the opportunity and obligation to educate patients, and to ensure that privacy and security issues are properly addressed."

Time Warner Cable Business Class, using the survey results as a guide, offers the following tips to healthcare chief information officers and information technology (IT) managers regarding the requirements and realities of EHR and EMR (electronic medical records) delivery:

Leverage secure solutions such as managed security and intrusion prevention to gain a competitive advantage, given consumer concerns and potential legal repercussions with respect to medical record identify theft

Design network solutions that can accommodate bandwidth-heavy records and other medical information in order to offer the EHR benefits consumers desire

Understand the security/privacy implications of all technology decisions -- including applications, hardware and networks that enable EHR transmission

Tout the benefits of EHR, such as reduced errors, lower costs, and availability of quality care, while demonstrating security/privacy leadership

A complete summary of survey results is available for download from www.twcbc.com/EHRhealthcare. The online survey of 1,099 patients was conducted in December 2006.

Results will also be available in the Time Warner Business Class booth (#7416) at the HIMSS '07 Annual Conference and Convention, February 25 -- March 1, in New Orleans. Healthcare providers are invited to visit the booth to learn how to prepare for the transition to EHR by adopting technology that can improve the quality and security of care delivered.

Time Warner Cable Business Class provides scalable, IT solutions to healthcare providers by offering a full portfolio of data, security, video products and fiber-based services. These include Metro Ethernet solutions, dedicated Internet access, teleworker and branch office solutions, as well as, managed security and storage.

About Time Warner Cable Business Class

Time Warner Cable Business Class, a service of Time Warner Cable, offers data, video and security solutions to provide a full complement of business communications tools. Having an established national presence, along with dedicated local teams, the company provides award winning customer service. Supporting enterprise, government and small to medium-sized businesses with a consultative approach, Time Warner Cable Business Class is focused exclusively on individual business needs.

Source: Business Wire

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