Physicians Embrace Internet and Seek Uniform Standards to Speed Adoption

An overwhelming majority of physicians believes that the Internet will make the practice of medicine easier and improve the quality of care by 2003, according to survey results released today.

And while more than a third consider Internet-enabled technologies to be essential advantages, most agree that the Internet’s full potential will not be realized until the lack of system compatibility across healthcare organizations is addressed, the survey found.

Still, the findings affirm that the Internet is transforming physicians’ practice of medicine far more rapidly than most observers thought possible, say sponsors of the survey.

“Physicians are actively seeking to integrate computers and the Internet into their practices and do not appear to need further convincing that technology will play an increasingly significant role,” said Dr. Molly Joel Coye, CEO of the Health Technology Center, or HealthTech for short.

Harris Interactive polled 215 physician leaders and office-based practicing physicians at medium and large practices on behalf HealthTech, which sponsored the survey in cooperation with PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Institute for the Future. HealthTech is a nonprofit education and policy outfit dedicated to advancing the use of new technologies to improve health.

Eighty-five percent of the physicians surveyed use at least one Internet-enabled application. For example, 71% report using the Internet for medical information and news and 50% use it to access guidelines or protocols.

Physicians identified six services as “essential” to their future success: diagnostic reporting (34%), claims processing services (35%), pharmaceutical information (34%), purchase of medical office products (29%), e-mail communication with patients (29%), and electronic medical records (19%).

Only 7% use automated systems for prescribing.

The lack of uniform standards for health information and the inability of current health information applications to communicate among themselves are major barriers to universal implementation of Internet-enabled technologies, most survey participants agreed. Physicians suggested that industry associations or health plans take the lead in setting industry-wide standards.

“This study should serve as a wake-up call for all physicians who are not yet prepared to take advantage of Internet-enabled clinical and administrative services,” said Wendy Everett, director of the Institute for the Future’s healthcare programs and chair of the HealthTech board.