Consumer Access and Use of Online Health Records: It Takes Two to Tango

An increasing number of health care providers offer new electronic tools to patients, but are patients interested in engaging online with their health records? At the same time, the Blue Button Initiative, the meaningful use requirements in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) all set the stage to get health information into patients’ hands to fuel greater patient engagement. But does enough patient demand exist to justify requirements for health care providers to offer patients the capability to access their health information online?