Behavioral Health Providers’ Perspectives on Granular Information Sharing

Granular information sharing allows patients to have more control over their medical records by giving them the choice of what information to share and with whom. Numerous studies have focused on patients’ perspectives, but this study focuses on the provider views of granular information sharing. Twenty-eight behavioral health providers (n=3 prescribers, n=25 non-prescribers) from two different integrated healthcare facilities participated in a 2-hour focus group and took a survey at the beginning and at the end of the focus group. The survey responses were analyzed using descriptive analysis to understand how the providers' preferences changed from the pre-study to the post-study. Most providers changed their view about granular information sharing, as 30% of providers “were OK with patients having control over who sees what information in their electronic health record”, previously 83%. Overall, health care providers had concerns that granular information sharing because they feared that it would lead to increased costs, patient safety issues involving drug-drug interactions, and poor provider-patient relationships.