The Wall Street Journal: "Three leading health-care providers in Colorado's Front Range region recently teamed up in an electronic health-record exchange program that will allow them to share data on more than a million Colorado residents. … The three [health systems] have agreed to share their records on a secure network that will allow clinics, doctors' offices and hospitals to exchange data on common patients instantly, including lab reports, radiology images and medical history" (Landro, 4/13).

San Francisco Chronicle: Meanwhile, more consumers are using online records, too. "The number of Americans who use personal health records -- digitized records that give consumers access to their medical information -- has doubled since 2008, though remains small at 7 percent of all patients, according to a survey released today by the California HealthCare Foundation" (Colliver, 4/13).  

Computerworld: But, the same survey found, there appears to be a class divide in who is using personal health records. The study "revealed that while the wealthy tend to use them more, it was the poor who derive the greatest benefits from online records." For example, personal health records encouraged people with lower education levels to ask their health care providers more questions, compared with more highly educated people, a study author said (Mearian, 4/13).