Kaiser Permanente is trying to shift the focus on its EHR programs back to the good things about it (and we’ve heard plenty about the controversy). They are having a conference today in DC with big guns like Carolyn Clancy and have put out a survey. Their spin on the survey is that Americans Want to Go Digital When it Comes to Their Health Care.

And while approximately one in ten (12%) of Americans currently review their personal medical records on their health insurance company’s Web site, over half say they would like to be able to check claims and coverage (56%) or access personal records (51%) electronically in the future.

It’s not all sweetness and light, but there clearly is more interest in accessing information that’s pertinent and personalized about health care from health plans, and of course KP is not the only one making steps in that direction. So they’re roughly right. As for HealthConnect, as I’ve been saying for a while, the proof of the pudding will be in the actual use when fully rolled out in California. And for that you’re going to have to wait.