As the nation seeks alternatives to soaring drug prices, from prescribing generics to Congressional investigations into price-gouging, a new study reveals the existence of a very cheap medical innovation: Email.
A study of 1,041 chronically ill patients in northern California by Kaiser Permenante finds that a third who exchanged emails with their doctors feel that the communication improved their health outcomes. The sizeable minority reporting improved results suggests that a widespread adoption of doctor-patient emails could have a big impact on public health.
Specifically, 32 percent of patients who exchanged an email with a health care provider said that the message improved their outcome, while 67 percent said it did not make a difference. Less than 1 percent said the communication led to a worse outcome.
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In addition, nearly half (46 percent) of patients reported that email was their primary means of communication for one or more medical concerns. Among the emailers, 42 percent said they made fewer phone calls as a result and 36 percent said that it allowed them to avoid in-person visits.
Those who had to pay a higher portion of their health care costs were more likely to favor emails. Eighty-five percent of those who were obligated to pay at least $60 in co-pays or deductibles for each office visit chose email as their first method of contact, compared to 63 percent of patients with lower cost-sharings.
"We found that a large proportion of patients used email as their first method of contacting health care providers across a variety of health-related concerns," said Mary Reed, staff scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California and the study's lead author. "As more patients gain access to online portal tools associated with electronic health records, emails between patients and providers may shift the way that health care is delivered and also impact efficiency, quality and health outcomes."
The survey, which was recently reported in the American Journal of Managed Care, took place in 2011. Presumably both the use of email between patients and doctors and the technological literacy of patients has only increased since.
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