Intel, Health Care Leaders Explore "Internet Gap" Between Doctors and Patients

Forty-Eight Percent of Online Users Want to Exchange E-Mail with Their Doctors, But Only Three Percent Are Doing So, According to Latest Research

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., Oct. 12, 1999 - Leaders of the health care and Internet technology industries met in New York City today to explore the "Internet Gap" between physicians and patients.

Findings presented at Intel Corporation's Internet Health Day show that consumers increasingly seek medical information on the Internet and are using the Web to take a more active role in managing their health. However, physicians are not adopting the Internet as quickly as their patients.

According to The Harris Poll, 70 million Americans went online between June 1998 and June 1999 looking for health information.** A Cyber Dialogue survey released today found that 48 percent of online users seeking health information would like to communicate with their doctor's office via e-mail, but only 3 percent are doing so, and only 11 percent know their doctor's e-mail address.*** Likewise, 74 percent of online users seeking health information said a doctor or pharmacist recommendation would make them more likely to trust a Web site, but only 4 percent are receiving this guidance. The study further revealed that 33 percent of patients who want to communicate with their doctor via e-mail would be likely to switch physicians in order to do so. (Additional data provided below.)

"Doctors report that the health care system is requiring them to see more patients in less time than before, with a growing burden of administrative paperwork," said Steven McGeady, vice president of Intel's New Business Group and director of the company's Internet Health Initiative. "e-Health has the potential to transform the $1.2 trillion health care industry, delivering greater satisfaction to providers and patients alike. The goal of Internet Health Day is to help doctors explore how they can bring the efficiencies of high-tech to the ‘high-touch' patient care environment."

Dr. William Brody, president of Johns Hopkins University, and Janlori Goldman, director of the Health Privacy Project at Georgetown University, delivered keynote addresses to 900 attendees. Thirty companies demonstrated e-Health services for medical professionals and consumers. Examples included: tools allowing doctors to submit prescription requests to pharmacies online; Internet support groups for specific communities such as cancer patient groups; and disease management systems in which chronically ill patients track their own health status via Web sites that are monitored by their doctor's office.

Intel Releases Study of Physician Practices
Intel presented the research of an in-house team of ethnographers -- researchers who use anthropological practices and techniques to study people in their daily lives and activities. The ethnographers performed a detailed study of 12 physician practice groups and clinics this spring, with the goal of learning how technology can be integrated into the existing patient-care process in a non-disruptive manner. The ethnographers found some success models, including physicians using computers in exam rooms to share on-screen information with patients. A health maintenance organization had replaced paper-based charts with an electronic medical records system, which made the office more efficient and improved patient care by consolidating test results and treatment plans with information from other providers helping the same patient. The team also found barriers, however. The presence of a computer and using a keyboard were sometimes awkward in doctor-patient interaction. Stationary computers made it difficult for practitioners to record and find information in the mobile clinical environment. Further, many doctors used voice dictation to capture chart notes. The researchers concluded that new technology solutions are needed to help bring the benefits of technology into the clinical environment.

The ethnographers reported, "There is tremendous potential for the Internet in the health care industry. Doctors, payers, and patients, among others, are all calling for a system whereby all participants can share appropriate information more readily. This would have the effect of both improving the quality of care and controlling costs more effectively and more equitably."

A white paper on Intel's ethnography research is available at www.intel.com/intel/e-health.

Making the e-Health Transition
To help physicians become familiar with Internet-based health services, Intel and the American Medical Association (AMA) are conducting training sessions in cities nationwide.

Additionally, Intel today introduced Intel® Internet Authentication Services, a business that enables more trusted e-Health communications and transactions on the Internet. Intel has teamed with the AMA to deliver the service to physicians.

About Internet Health Day
Internet Health Day II was developed by Intel Corporation as a forum for leaders in the emerging Internet Health industry. Internet Health Day 1998 identified how consumers are being empowered by the Internet to find new ways of obtaining health-related information, products and services. Internet Health Day II explores solutions for bringing health care providers into the online world. Internet Health Day II is sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, American Pharmaceutical Association, Internet Healthcare Coalition and People's Medical Society.

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