In 2024, more patients than ever before accessed their medical records online through web browsers and apps to manage their health – here’s why that matters.

Last year we put out a series of blog posts featuring measures and metrics we’ve tracked for ten or more years to assess progress on important ASTP/ONC mission activities. This year, we’re kicking off a new blog series titled, “Digital Dividends” which will discuss important innovations and opportunities in health care delivery, services, and research made possible by these digitization efforts led by HHS and ASTP/ONC.

We start with a look at the growth in patients’ access to their electronic health information and how this is empowering patients to make informed decisions about their health and care.

Following a period of rapid growth in patient access, a recent ASTP/ONC data brief reveals online access to medical records, typically through apps or web-based patient portals, continues to rise. Using the latest data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 7), we found that more than three-quarters of individuals nationwide (77%) were offered online access to their health information in 2024—up from 73% in 2022—and nearly two-thirds (65%) accessed their information online at least once in the past year—up from 57% in 2022. Caregiver, or proxy access, more than doubled in the past 4 years, from 24% in 2020 to 51% in 2024.

Rates of access were even higher among individuals managing a chronic condition or recent cancer diagnosis. In 2024, 69% of individuals with a chronic condition and 76% of individuals with a recent cancer diagnosis accessed their health information online in the past year. These individuals may have regular interactions with the health care system and utilize patient portals to view test results and clinical notes, message with providers, or share information with caregivers or members of their care team.

Our findings also show that individuals are accessing their records online more frequently. In 2024, about one-third of individuals (34%) were frequent users (accessed 6 or more times in the past year)—more than double the pre-pandemic rate in 2019 (15%). Furthermore, individuals with a chronic condition (38%) and those with a recent cancer diagnosis (54%) were frequent users (Figure 1). These findings suggest that certain individuals may have a need to access their records more frequently, and continuing to improve this access benefits their personal care management.

Figure 1. Frequency of individuals accessing their records online in the past year, overall and among those managing a chronic condition or recent cancer diagnosis, 2024.

Source: HINTS 7 (2024).

Greater online access and use may be due in part to the implementation of ASTP/ONC’s Cures Act Final Rule requirements. The rule enhances patient access from a policy perspective through the information blocking regulations and technically by requiring developers of certified health IT to, as applicable, implement secure, standards-based application programming interfaces (APIs) that make it easier for patients to access and manage their health information using a smartphone health application (app) of their choice. This may have also led to increased availability of features available in portals for patients to access and share information that can be used to make informed decisions about their health and care. Leveraging more than a decade of data on individuals’ use of patient portals, our latest quick stat shows an increase in use of different portal features by users over time. In 2024, the most common uses were to view laboratory test results and clinical notes, accounting for 90% and 80% of portal use, respectively. Additionally, more than three-quarters of individuals used their portal to message their providers (79%) or schedule appointments (77%).

Less commonly used features included using the portal to download (32%) or transmit (21%) information to a third party, add information (25%), or correct errors (10%). However, it is unclear whether individuals didn’t use these features because they didn’t need them, or because they weren’t available in the portal. Findings from a national survey of hospitals show that download and transmit capabilities are widely adopted by hospitals and thus, low utilization by individuals may be reflective of low demand. The functionality to add information to the portal is less commonly available and likely contributes to lower utilization of these features. As online access to medical records becomes widespread, it will be important to increase availability of features valued by individuals and improve awareness of emerging features that can enhance patient care.

Beyond using online access to medical records for care management of chronic conditions, individuals can use tools available to them in patient portals or smartphone health apps for preventive care, such as staying up to date with annual appointments and recommended screenings. A recent Epic study showed that patient portal users were more likely to be up-to-date with breast cancer screenings, which speaks to the importance of continuing to offer patient portals and encourage their use. Overcoming barriers to access is needed to address persistent differences in portal activation rates, which may reflect a broader digital divide in patient access to their electronic health information. Collectively, these findings indicate patient portals and smartphone health apps that enable patients to manage their electronic health information can be powerful tools for prevention and care management. Ongoing efforts to increase and enhance access for all individuals is critical to ensuring they and their caregivers have the information they need to manage their health and care.

Figure 2. Quick Stat #69: Trends in Individuals’ Use of Health IT:  2012-2024

Source: Consumer Survey of Attitudes Toward the Privacy and Security Aspects of Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange (2012-2014), Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) (2017-2020, 2022, 2024).