There is a gap between today's personal health records (PHRs) and what patients say they want and need from this electronic tool for managing their health information. Until that gap is bridged, it is unlikely that PHRs will be widely adopted. Current barriers to PHR adoption among patients include cost, concerns that information is not protected or private, inconvenience, design shortcomings, and the inability to share information across organizations. However, in the future, when these concerns are addressed, and health data are portable and understandable (in both content and format), PHRs will likely prove to be invaluable.