In conjunction with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's (ONC) fifth annual Consumer Health IT Summit, the agency issued new data briefs and updated figures on key measures.

In 2014, over half of individuals who were offered online access to their medical record viewed their record at least once within the last year, according to the new data brief, "Trends in Consumer Access and Use of Electronic Health Information." And, almost half of individuals nationwide engaged in at least one of the following activities: sending or receiving a text message or an email from their healthcare provider; using a smart phone health application; or looking at their test results online.

Access to individual health information online is only a starting point, according to National Coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, writing in ONC's blog. "We have more work to do to ensure that individuals and their families can fully digest and understand their health information. We need to remove artificial barriers of entry, meaning difficult in-person authentication processes, poor user design platforms or costs for online access so that individuals can receive their data in a digestible format of their choosing and can share their data whenever and with whomever they trust."

An August data brief, "Electronic Capabilities for Patient Engagement among U.S. NonFederal Acute Care Hospitals: 2012-2014," covered a six-fold increase in the percentage of hospitals giving consumers the ability to view, download and transmit their health information online from 10 percent in 2013 to 64 percent of hospitals offering access today. ONC's 2014 national consumer survey found that four in 10 individuals report having electronic access to their health information from healthcare providers or insurers, and eight in 10 who accessed their online medical record found it useful.

ONC has begun work on a policy framework that identifies best practices, gaps and opportunities for progress in the collection and use of patient-generated health data (PGHD) for research and care delivery through 2024. As part of the two-year project, ONC will conduct pilots to test implementation of and further refine the topics identified in the policy framework. The policy framework will consider how PGHD can be collected in a way that protects the patient and the integrity of the patient record, maximizes the provider-patient relationship, builds confidence among providers and researchers to use these data and encourages individuals to donate their health data for research.  In her blog post, DeSalvo encouraged stakeholders to "join me for this exciting conversation and pivotal call to action to use technology to help Americans manage their health."