title: Transforming health care delivery through consumer engagement, health data transparency, and patient-generated health information.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Address current topics in consumer health informatics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Current health care delivery systems need to be more effective in the management of chronic conditions as the population turns older and experiences escalating chronic illness that threatens to consume more health care resources than countries can afford. Most health care systems are positioned poorly to accommodate this. Meanwhile, the availability of ever more powerful and cheaper information and communication technology, both for professionals and consumers, has raised the capacity to gather and process information, communicate more effectively, and monitor the quality of care processes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adapting health care systems to serve current and future needs requires new streams of data to enable better self-management, improve shared decision making, and provide more virtual care. Changes in reimbursement for health care services, increased adoption of relevant technologies, patient engagement, and calls for data transparency raise the importance of patient-generated health information, remote monitoring, non-visit based care, and other innovative care approaches that foster more frequent contact with patients and better management of chronic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Daniel Z. Sands, MD, MPH, 56 Solon St., Suite 200, Newton, MA 02461, USA, Tel: +1 617 256 4775, Fax: +1 617 663 6321, E-mail: Danny@DrDannySands.com.
authors.forename: D Z
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Sands
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wald
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006801:Humans
keywords: Chronic disease; consumer participation; delivery of health care; electronic health records; informatics