• 1. ADEs
• 2. duration of ameliorable medication side effects
• 3. health goal adherence rates
• 4. diabetes outcomes
• 5. familial risk factor documentation rates
• 6. user satisfaction surveys
• 7. user metrics

The study uses a randomized, prospective cohort design to assess the impact of shared online health records on 1) patient safety, 2) health goal adherence and outcomes, 3) documentation of family history, and 4) barriers to the adoption of patient-physician communication technology.

Hypothesis: the respective interventions will result in 1) improved patient safety 2) greater adherence to health care maintenance and chronic disease guidelines 3) more accurate documentation of family history 4) the identification of technology adoption enablers and barriers.

During the first phase of the study, primary care practice patients continue to receive “usual care” while their physician’s offices are using Patient Gateway, an Internet portal offering secure messaging, common requests, chart information, and health information that has already been developed. Also in this first phase, all patients using Patient Gateway will receive an electronic letter explaining the research study and a link to an electronic consent form. In addition to recruitment of subjects, phase 1 allows for baseline data to be collected.

In the second phase, study clinics will be randomized into one of two intervention “arms”. Study subjects whose clinics are randomized into Arm 1 will be invited to review and comment on their medication, allergy, and diabetes information through Patient Gateway; they can then submit this information to their primary care physician for review. Those randomized into Arm 2 will report on their health maintenance status and family history and submit this information to their primary care physician through Patient Gateway prior to a scheduled visit. Chart reviews performed at the end of Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be conducted to identify differences in process measures and outcome measures between intervention and control groups.

In addition, a medication phone survey sub-study will be conducted to evaluate the effect of the new Patient Gateway features on medication management.

• Wright A, Poon E, Wald JS, Schnipper J, Grant R, Gandhi T, Volk L, Bloom A, Williams DH, Gardner K, Epstein M, Nelson L, Businger A, Li Q, Bates DW, Middleton B. Effectiveness of health maintenance reminders provided directly to patients. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2008 Nov 6;:1183.
• Grant RW, Wald JS, Schnipper JL, Gandhi TK, Poon EG, Orav EJ, Williams DH, Volk LA, Middleton B. Practice-linked online personal health records for type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Sep 8;168(16):1776-82.

Inclusion Criteria:

• All patients, who are enrolled in Patient Gateway, of physicians and practices participating in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any patients who are not enrolled in Patient Gateway or do not belong to a participating practice.