Docs' Top 3 PHR Fears

2.Data Integrity
 Reliability of the information in the PHR is key, Miller said. Early experiences with PHR models have shown that physicians will not trust any model that depends on the patient entering data. It is far too easy to enter incorrect or incomplete data, she says.

Physician adoption also depends on the PHR being automatically generated through the EMR, she says. "It is unrealistic to expect a provider to go outside of their work flow and log in to a disparate system," Miller said.

3. Loss of Control Over Data
 Docs are certainly justified in their concerns about data accuracy, but there's also a more subtle fear that they will lose control over the data. They don't like the idea of patients getting instant access to lab results without first talking to a doctor, for example.

(A rule proposed this past fall by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service and two other federal agencies would amend the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) and require labs to release results directly to patients or their designated representatives upon request.)

"They're worried that the patient is going to get horrific news without the doctor first being able to review it, refine it, and present it in the best way," Martich says. "That concern is understandable, but it really has not been a problem."