Some 75 percent of US adults said it is "very important" that their important health information can be easily shared between physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers, according to a survey of 1,011 adults conducted by ORC International. The Society of Participatory Medicine published the study.

"What this survey points out is that when critical health information can't be shared across medical practices and hospitals, patients are put at risk," Daniel Z. Sands, cofounder of the Society of Participatory Medicine, said in a statement.

Additionally, 20 percent of respondents said that they, or a family member, had experienced a problem receiving medical care because their health records could not be shared between different healthcare providers.

But although sharing health information was important to respondents, 87 percent said they were against fees being charged to healthcare providers and patients when the important health information is transferred. The Society of Participatory Medicine reported that "doctors are forced to pay between $5,000 to $50,000 to set up connections allowing them to transmit information to blood and pathology laboratories, health information exchanges or governments".

In November 2014, a survey from Truven Health Analytics and NPR found that 68 percent of American consumers are willing to share health information with researchers, but this group of people is more likely to be wealthy, well-educated, and young. Of the four groups — physicians, hospitals, employers, and health insurers, employers were the most trusted, with only 10 percent of participants expressing concern. That went up to 11 percent for physicians, 14 percent for hospitals, and 16 percent for insurers.