Going Off the Record

Americans are worried about the increasing computerization of their medical records and don’t trust that health plans and government health programs will keep the information confidential, according to a survey conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates for the California HealthCare Foundation.

Among survey findings released last week:

* About 60% of those polled would not be inclined to grant access to their medical records to a hospital offering preventive-care programs nor would they want to give access to an employer considering them for a new job. About 70% would be unwilling to allow drug companies access to their records to use in marketing new drugs and products.

* Only 35% of U.S. adults polled trust health plans and only 33% trust government programs like Medicare to maintain confidentiality of their medical records all or most of the time. Yet only about 20% say a health-care provider, insurance plan, government agency or employer has ever improperly disclosed medical information.

* Forty-seven percent of those polled said that establishing fines and punishments for violations of medical privacy would be “very effective.”

The findings were based on a survey of 1,000 adults nationwide and 1,100 in California. The margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points.