A patient portal is a website for your personal health care. The online tool helps you to keep track of your health care provider visits, test results, billing, prescriptions, and so on. You can also e-mail your provider questions through the portal. Many providers now offer patient portals. For access, you will need to set up an account.
When to implement a patient portal?
lower incomes, or are chronically ill. Patients are likely to use a portal when it is recommended by their providers and has functionality that supports patient activation. Portal training and technical support also will help patients to make the most of its tools and services. Actions to Take to Make Sure Your Portal Engages Patients
What is patient portal and how can it help?
With a patient portal, you can:
- Make appointments (non-urgent)
- Request referrals
- Refill prescriptions
- Check benefits
- Update insurance or contact information
- Make payments to your provider's office
- Complete forms
- Ask questions through secure e-mail
How to use our patient portal?
Use Our Patient Portal. In order to access our patient portal, you need to be a current patient who has had at least one visit in our office. Our front desk can supply you with a temporary portal password after you contact us with a valid email address. Once you have your email and temporary password, you can reach our portal directly from the ...
What does our patient portal do for You?
With your patient portal, you can be in control of your health and care. Patient portals can also save your time, help you communicate with your doctor, and support care between visits.
How do you use patient portals?
0:068:41How to use a patient portal - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can book appointments look at your lab. Results order repeats of your medicines. Send secureMoreYou can book appointments look at your lab. Results order repeats of your medicines. Send secure messages to your gp or nurse. See your medical history including the vaccinations.
What are the benefits of using a patient portal?
The truth is, there are a lot of benefits to using a patient portal for providers.Better Patient Communication. ... Streamline Patient Registration and Administrative Tasks. ... Greater Focus on Patient Care. ... Better Patient-Physician Relationships. ... Improve Clinical Outcomes. ... Optimize Medical Office Workflow.
What information can be accessed through a patient portal?
The features of patient portals may vary, but typically you can securely view and print portions of your medical record, including recent doctor visits, discharge summaries, medications, immunizations, allergies, and most lab results anytime and from anywhere you have Web access.
What is a disadvantage of patient portal?
The most frequently reported downside to patient portals is the difficulty providers often face in generating patient buy-in. Although providers are generally aware of the health perks of using a patient portal, patients are seldom as excited about the portal as they are.
Why do patients not use patient portals?
The researchers found no demographic differences among nonusers who said that a technology hurdle, lack of internet access or no online medical record was the reason why they did not make use of a patient portal.
Can patient portals be hacked?
Unfortunately, what makes your patient portal valuable for patients is exactly what makes it attractive to cybercriminals. It's a one-stop shop for entire health records, and identity thieves can make a fast buck from stealing this data and selling it on.
What information is excluded from patient portals?
However, it also had to exclude behavioral health, protected minor visits, research records, business records, and other sensitive record content. The portal automatically downloads or excludes documents based on type or provider, says Meadows, who helped solidify a process for integrating the portal with the EHR.
What are the different types of patient portals?
There are two main types of patient portals: a standalone system and an integrated service. Integrated patient portal software functionality usually comes as a part of an EMR system, an EHR system or practice management software. But at their most basic, they're simply web-based tools.
Are patient portals effective?
Patient portal interventions were overall effective in improving a few psychological outcomes, medication adherence, and preventive service use. There was insufficient evidence to support the use of patient portals to improve clinical outcomes.
Do patients like patient portals?
Eight studies reported that patients or their caregivers want more portal education, training, or support. Two studies found that their participants want human connection as they learn about the portal and how to use it, as well as when they encounter issues.
When did the medical field start using patient portals?
Early Implementation And Growth Of Patient Portals In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the earliest adopters of patient portals began offering electronic tools for patient-centered communication, often “tethered” to their integrated electronic health record system.
Which of the following is a benefit of patient portals quizlet?
The patient portal supports two-way communication, which allows the patient to work with physicians between patient visits, request appointments, and receive reminders. These reminders can be for appointments, need for follow-up, and more.
Are patient portals effective?
Patient portal interventions were overall effective in improving a few psychological outcomes, medication adherence, and preventive service use. There was insufficient evidence to support the use of patient portals to improve clinical outcomes.
What are the pros and cons of personal health records?
4 Pros and Cons of Digital Patient Health Data AccessPro: Patients enjoy digital data access.Con: Complicated health info causes concern for patients, docs.Pro: Patients can review info for medical errors.Con: Clinician notes raise patient-provider relationship concerns.
Why should patients have access to their medical records?
The studies revealed that patients' access to medical records can be beneficial for both patients and doctors, since it enhances communication between them whilst helping patients to better understand their health condition. The drawbacks (for instance causing confusion and anxiety to patients) seem to be minimal.
Overview
Patient portals improve the way in which patients and health care providers interact. A product of meaningful use requirements, they were mandated as a way to provide patients with timely access to their health care. Specifically, patient portals give patients access to their health information to take a more active role.
Primary Benefits
No matter the type of platform you choose, your patient portal can provide your patients with secure online access to their medical details and increase their engagement with your practice. And not to mention that it does so while providing several benefits for health care providers as well. Some of these benefits include:
Notable Challenges
While many people have used a patient portal by now, they have mixed reviews at best. As you can see in the section above, there are plenty of benefits that patient portals provide. But unfortunately, their potential has yet to be fully harnessed.
Emerging Trends
If patient portals are a mixed bag, why should the patient portal receive greater consideration in the EHR, EMR and practice management selection processes? Because when you look at current industry trends, patient portals are well on their way to improving. Some of these trends include:
How to Use a Patient Portal
With patient portals, the first and foremost thing you will need is a computer and a working internet connection. Create a customized user’s account in the software to avail medical services on your own. Once you enter the patient portal, click on links and products sold by the provider and tap into a new experience.
Solution Evaluation
Now that you know what a patient portal is and given the potential and growing importance, how should you evaluate the best portal for your practice or facility? You can select a standalone patient portal that a third-party vendor commonly hosts through the cloud as a health care provider.
Final Thoughts
It’s clear that using a patient portal software can provide several benefits for your medical practice. After accounting for these nine considerations, you should be ready to start using a patient portal. The only decision left to make is which platform you’ll use.
How do I use a Patient Portal?
If your provider offers a patient portal, you will need a computer and internet connection to use it. Follow the instructions to register for an account. Once you are in your patient portal, you can click the links to perform basic tasks. You can also communicate with your provider's office in the message center.
What are the benefits of a patient portal?
Expand Section. With a patient portal: You can access your secure personal health information and be in touch with your provider's office 24 hours a day . You do not need to wait for office hours or returned phone calls to have basic issues resolved. You can access all of your personal health information from all ...
How much does an e-visit cost?
For minor issues, such as a small wound or rash, you can get diagnosis and treatment options online. This saves you a trip to the provider's office. E-visits cost around $30.
How old do you have to be to get access to your child's portal?
If you have a child under age 18 years, you may be given access to your child's patient portal, too.
Can you access all of your health information?
You can access all of your personal health information from all of your providers in one place. If you have a team of providers, or see specialists regularly, they can all post results and reminders in a portal. Providers can see what other treatments and advice you are getting. This can lead to better care and better management of your medicines.
What is a patient portal?
A patient portal is an application that allows patients to have access to parts of their medical records from their primary care doctor, specialists, or other Healthcare organizations. Patients log into patient portals from either a PC, a tablet, or a smartphone. The market for patient portals in the US is expected to reach over $2 Billion by 2020, up from about $279 million in 2012. (Source) Here are some functions and benefits of patient portals:
How many patients use the patient portal?
The data is from 2017 and reports that 52% of patients in the US had been offered access to their medical information by a physician or insurer. Of that 52%, a little over half of patients actually used the patient portal at least once in the year. That leaves us with a large part of the population that either aren’t utilizing a patient portal or are not being offered access.
How long does it take for EHR to provide timely access to patient information?
Measure 1: More than 50 percent of all unique patients seen by eligible providers during the EHR reporting period are provided timely (available to the patient within 4 business days after the information is available to the provider) online access to their health information.
What are the advantages of a vendor-dependent portal?
1) Clinics who can’t afford or don’t want to pay for a vendor-dependent portal can still get the functionality they need, 2) Patients who seek care from multiple providers can aggregate their health data into one portal.
What is portal in EHR?
In the EHR model, the portal is an extension of a vendor’s core electronic health record system. A Healthcare organization will usually launch the portal at the same time or shortly after the activation of the core EHR. Most of the data that patients see when they log into the portal is only from that organization’s system.
What are the disadvantages of patient portals?
As with any written communication, portal messages can be misinterpreted. When patients have more access to the same lab results as providers, they can worry over ranges that may be label as ‘high’ but are not really a problem. Security risks.
What happens if you share portal access?
If portal access is shared between spouses involved in divorce or domestic conflict, patient information could be accessed or used improperly
When did PHMG start patient portal?
PHMG launched the patient portal in early 2010. As a first step, the physician champion piloted the portal for about 6 months before it was implemented in one clinic at a time. According to the physician champion, implementation was “easier than expected because everyone was already comfortable with eClinicalWorks, ...
Why is it persuasive to use a portal?
They found that it is particularly persuasive when providers encourage patients to use the portal because patients trust providers and value their opinions. One provider says he reinforces a patient’s use of the portal by closing all messages with “Thanks for using the portal.”.
Why is PHMG monitoring?
Messaging is monitored periodically to ensure that communication with patients is succinct and user-friendly.
What are the challenges of the portal?
One major challenge with the portal is the multiple step registration process . Patients provide their e‐mail address at the front desk and are given a password to register from home. Some patients fail to complete the registration process after leaving the clinic. Remembering and managing passwords and managing family accounts are also challenging for patients. For example, a parent may log in for one child and then ask questions about a second child. For providers and staff, a challenge is that there is no way to know whether a Web‐enabled patient actually uses the portal and there are no read receipts to confirm that patients have read a message.
When did PHMG implement EHR?
In 2007 PHMG implemented an EHR system, eClinicalWorks, as part of a strategy to improve quality of care and facilitate coordination of care across its multiple clinic locations. In preparing for implementation, PHMG proceeded with:
How can Physician Champions help with change?
Providers want to hear from other providers about new technologies. Physician champions can share practical how‐to information and address their colleagues’ questions and concerns from the physician perspective . Teaming physician and administrative champions can be an effective approach to introducing new technologies and processes.
What is a message in patients' own words?
Messages are in patients’ own words and not subject to others interpretation, biases, or attention to detail
Why do we need a patient portal?
Why implement a patient portal? For practices with a website, a portal could be the next logical step. It can improve practice efficiency by allowing patients to go online to schedule appointments, preregister, pay bills, review information from their charts, and receive educational materials—all activities that otherwise would be done over the phone or in person during the office visit. And for practices that are moving on to Stage 2 of the federal meaningful use (MU) program for electronic health records (EHRs), a patient portal provides a means for satisfying the “patient electronic access” objective (see “ Portals and EHR Meaningful Use ”).
Can you focus on the patient?
You can focus on the patient, not on the registration process. “One of the most significant improvements we have experienced with the introduction of our patient portal has been the amount of time that we get to spend with a patient,” said Denise Fridl, COT, COE, who is her practice’s chief performance officer. “If patients have already submitted their registration information prior to their visit—rather than spending 10 minutes answering a technician’s questions—we can spend more quality time talking to them about why they are here for an appointment.”
How many patients have access to a patient portal?
In May 2019, we surveyed 232 patients and found that 72% had access to a patient portal. That’s an approximately 64% increase over the finding concluded in a similar study conducted in 2016.
Why do we need portals?
Other reasons to implement a portal include: To foster better patient-physician relationships: Portals offer a round-the-clock platform on which both parties can conveniently exchange health information, ask questions, and review medical notes—providing more opportunities to connect.
What to do when your practice is ready for patient portal?
Once your practice is ready for new patient portal software, take some time to consider what functionality is on your wish list. The range and breadth of features a portal offers will vary based on vendor and cost.
How to request a prescription refill?
Highlight: There are two different ways to request a prescription refill through this portal: click on the “request refill” button on the home page, or go to a separate “Refill Requests” page to view a comprehensive list of current medications and make a specific selection.
Can a patient portal be integrated into an EHR?
It’s very common for patient portals to be bundled into an integrated EHR suite that includes additional medical software applications. Alternatively, practices can choose to purchase patient portal software as a stand-alone or integrated program. Here are the differences between the two types of systems:
Does a portal success come down to whether or not patients actually use it?
Even after you’ve done everything we’ve suggested for a smooth portal implementation, its success will ultimately come down to whether or not your patients actually use it.
Where is the balance due amount on a patient's invoice?
Highlight: The patient’s invoice, with the balance due amount emphasized in red text, is located right above the billing information form for easy reference.
Why is patient engagement important?
Engaged patients have better health outcomes, are more satisfied with their care, and are more likely to return to the organization in the future. Educational content hosted on patient portals can make it easier for patients to take a more active role ...
Why is educational content important for patients?
Educational content hosted on patient portals can make it easier for patients to take a more active role in their care. They can have access to relevant information about their conditions, medications, all in one place on the Internet. Patients no longer have to sift through a stack of pamphlets just to get the information they need.
How did the Internet impact healthcare?
Now, patients can take a much more active role in their care by having nearly instant access to their own medical records. In the past, a patient had to get medical records by showing up to the doctor’s office and asking them for a copy. Now, most of the information is digitized.
Can patient portals make appointment reminders?
Time is also spent on reminding people of appointments. Patient portals can make appointment reminders automated, when integrated with your CRM that keeps track of all of these automations, which leads into the next benefit.
Can administrative staff copy medical records?
What’s even nicer is that administrative staff, who used to spend a great deal of time copying medical records and updating the audit trail, can now simply direct the patient to their portal so that they can get the information electronically.
Can a patient portal be integrated with a CRM?
If a patient portal has appointment scheduling and is integrated with your CRM, the patient’s appointment is scheduled and a tag is applied in the CRM making it known that the patient has scheduled an appointment. This is powerful, and nobody on staff needed to do anything to make it work!
Overview
Primary Benefits
Notable Challenges
- While many people have used a patient portal by now, they have mixed reviews at best. As you can see in the section above, there are plenty of benefits that patient portals provide. But unfortunately, their potential has yet to be fully harnessed. Some patient portals are hard to access, poorly designed, cumbersome to navigate and limited in utility. These downfalls make it …
Emerging Trends
- If patient portals are a mixed bag, why should the patient portal receive greater consideration in the EHR, EMR and practice management selection processes? Because when you look at current health care technology trends, patient portals are well on their way to improving. Some of these trends include:
How to Use A Patient Portal
- With patient portals, the first and foremost thing you will need is a computer and a working internet connection. Create a customized user’s account in the software to avail medical services on your own. Once you enter the patient portal, click on links and products sold by the provider and tap into a new experience. Set up the portal according to ...
Solution Evaluation
- Now that you know what a patient portal is and given the potential and growing importance, how should you evaluate the best portal for your practice or facility? You can select a standalone patient portal that a third-party vendor commonly hosts through the cloud as a health care provider. This approach can result in incompatibility issues with your EMR and/or EHR system, r…
Final Thoughts
- It’s clear that using patient portal software can provide several benefits for your medical practice. After accounting for these considerations, you should be ready to start using a patient portal. The only decision left to make is which platform you’ll use. Consider taking a look at our Top Medical Software Comparison or build your own requirements checklistto give yourself an idea of what t…