The growing interest in health care information technology and electronic medical records has been accompanied by interest in personal health records (PHRs) on the patient/consumer side of these advances. Surveys indicate that a substantial number of Americans support the creation of a secure online PHR, while still expressing concern about the privacy of their medical records. In order to learn what types of PHRs are available to consumers and their families, 24 American-based PHRs were reviewed between April and November 2005. These PHRs were directly available to any member of the public at the time of the review, thereby excluding PHRs only available to particular groups (i.e., health plans, medical group members).
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