Online access sought by patients

Seventy-three percent of Americans surveyed would use a secure online communication service to make it easier to get lab results, request appointments, pay medical bills, and communicate with their doctors' offices, according to the results of an online survey of 1,000 Americans by a healthcare software firm.

The results of Intuit Health's Health Care Check-Up survey show almost half would consider switching doctors for a practice that offered the ability to communicate and complete important healthcare tasks online.

Nearly 20% of Americans believe they cannot easily reach their doctors' offices to ask questions, make appointments or obtain lab results. Eighty-one percent would schedule their own appointments on a Web service and fill out medical/registration forms online prior to their appointment. Seventy-eight percent of respondents would use a secure online method to access their medical histories and share information with their doctors.