Patient-Generated Data Is The Future Of Care, VA Official Says

Patient engagement is on the minds of a lot of people in healthcare, spurred not only by a requirement in Stage 2 Meaningful Use regulations, but by imperatives to improve the quality of care and boost patient satisfaction. Some providers beginning to open their minds, but technical and cultural challenges stand in the way, according to a high-level panel at last week’s Healthcare Unbound conference in Denver, Colorado.

“The future is PGD – patient-generated data,” said Dr. Susan Woods, director of patient experience for connected health at the Veterans Health Administration. “The voice of the patients and the caregivers has never been louder.”

Clinicians who resist growing demand to cede some of their authority and to accept health data from patients would be wise not to ignore changing expectations, for the sake of better care, Woods suggested. “Transparency breeds trust. Trust between patients and clinicians breeds outcomes,” she said.