title: Rapid growth in use of personal health records in New York, 2012-2013.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Giving patients access to their own medical data may help improve communication and engage patients in healthcare. As a result, the federal electronic health record (EHR) incentive program requires providers to offer electronic data sharing with patients via personal health records (PHRs) or other technologies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to estimate the rate of adoption of PHRs over a 2-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of 800 respondents (margin of error: 3.5 percentage points) in consecutive years of the Empire State Poll, an annual random-digit-dial telephone survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult New York State residents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported use of a PHR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of reported PHR use rose from 11 % in 2012 to 17 % in 2013. The proportion of these PHRs provided by doctors or healthcare organizations also increased sharply (from 50 % in 2012 to 73 % in 2013, p < 0.01) with a corresponding decrease in the proportion provided by insurers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of New York State residents using PHRs increased by more than 50 % (from 11 to 17 %) in advance of a federal incentive program requirement that healthcare organizations with EHRs must share electronic data with patients in order to receive their incentives.
authors: Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 E. 61st St., Suite 301, New York, NY, 10065, USA, jsa7002@med.cornell.edu.
authors: Jessica S
authors: JS
authors: Ancker
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Silver
authors: Rainu
authors: R
authors: Kaushal
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062527:Meaningful Use / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009518:New York; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data