benefits of patient portal healthit.gov

Benefits of Patient Portals

• Fast Expansion. There has been a clear shift in the medical industry from providers being providers to providers being caregivers.
• More Productive Work Environment. ...
• Improved Office Workflow. ...
• Telemedicine Support. ...
• Fewer Medical Mistakes. ...

Full Answer

What are the benefits of the care portal?

The care team is now able to keep in contact with patients more reliably and ask them direct questions when needed. Using the portal has enabled the organization to be more transparent and interactive with patients, and to proactively send patients the information they need.

How do patient portal users access their health information in 2020?

★ About one in five patient portal users (22%) accessed their health information using both a smartphone health app and a computer in 2020. ★ Patient portal users most commonly accessed their health information through a computer (83%) – six in 10 portal users accessed their health information using only this method.

What is a patient portal?

A patient portal is a secure online website that gives patients convenient, 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere with an Internet connection. Using a secure username and password, patients can view health information such as: Recent doctor visits; Discharge summaries; Medications; Immunizations; Allergies; Lab results

Do health information technology portals improve outcomes?

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act imposes pressure on health care organizations to qualify for “Meaningful Use”. It is assumed that portals should increase patient participation in medical decisions, but whether or not the use of portals improves outcomes remains to be seen.

What are the benefits of the patient portal?

The Benefits of a Patient Portal 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.Aug 13, 2020

What are the benefits and challenges of using patient portals?

What are the Top Pros and Cons of Adopting Patient Portals?Pro: Better communication with chronically ill patients.Con: Healthcare data security concerns.Pro: More complete and accurate patient information.Con: Difficult patient buy-in.Pro: Increased patient ownership of their own care.Feb 17, 2016

What are the benefits of electronic health records?

The benefits of electronic health records include: Better health care by improving all aspects of patient care, including safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, communication, education, timeliness, efficiency, and equity.Mar 8, 2022

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.

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?

Results of patient engagement were mixed: portals in some studies did not cause statistically significant improvement, but patients in other studies reported that portals enabled better engagement in their care.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of electronic medical records?

The Advantages & Disadvantages of an EHR or EMRConvenience and Efficiency. ... Fewer Storage Costs and Demands. ... Easily Organized and Referenced. ... Patient Access Simplified. ... Improved Security. ... Faster Order Initiation. ... Cybersecurity Issues. ... Frequent Updating Required.More items...

What are four purposes of medical records?

Four Reasons to Document Medical Records ProperlyCommunicates with other health care personnel. Documentation communicates the what, why, and how of clinical care delivered to patients. ... Reduces risk management exposure. ... Records CMS Hospital Quality Indicators and PQRS Measures. ... Ensures appropriate reimbursement.Aug 31, 2016

What are the three benefits of using the electronic health record quizlet?

advantages of the EHRreduced medical error by keeping prescription, allergies and information organized.reduced costs by preventing duplicate text.more legible than handwritten document.more secure requires password.less storage space.information can be accessed from multiple locations.More items...

Why do patients not use patient portals?

For some people, they avoid using the portals altogether for reasons like security issues, low health literacy, or lack of internet. Even for those who do access their accounts, there are still other disadvantages of patient portals.Nov 11, 2021

What is meaningful use?

'Meaningful Use' is the general term for the Center of Medicare and Medicaid's (CMS's) electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs that provide financial benefits to healthcare providers who use appropriate EHR technologies in meaningful ways; ways that benefit patients and providers alike.

What is the difference between a personal health record and a patient portal?

The Portal is controlled by the source system (EMR/EHR/Hospital). On the other hand, the Personal Health Record (PHR) is more patient centric, is controlled by a patient or family member, and may or may not be connected to a doctor or hospital (i.e. it may be tethered or untethered).Sep 6, 2012

How to get the most value from an EHR?

To get the most value from an EHR, practices will need to invest time in training and preparation. Some customization of the system will likely be needed based on how the practice functions and the individual work styles of the various providers.

What are the limitations of EHR?

The limitations of the EHR and the patient portal have presented challenges, such as the inability to send clinical summaries to patients via the portal. The practice can only move ahead with certain aspects of patient and family engagement as quickly as the system is upgraded.

Why is portal important?

The portal has proven to offer a much better means of communication. The care team is now able to keep in contact with patients more reliably and ask them direct questions when needed. Using the portal has enabled the organization to be more transparent and interactive with patients, and to proactively send patients the information they need.

What is the FQHC portal?

The FQHC sees improved communication between patients and providers, and views every instance when a patient emails a provider, nurse, or health coach as an opportunity to take a step towards better health. Patients find the portal to be useful and convenient, as it provides direct access to their health care and information as they need it. The portal supports the organizations philosophy of person-centered and respectful care, and perceives a resulting increase in responsibility and ownership among patients. Now that patients have a greater familiarity and comfort level with technology, the organization is planning to use telemedicine to offer virtual appointments to some patients.

How many no returns per month for a federally qualified health center?

A large Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) faced challenges communicating with their patients, resulting in as many as 200 no-returns per month. This loss of contact resulted in lost revenue and wasted staff time, and had the potential to diminish patient health through lack of follow-up.

Why do patients use the patient portal?

Clinicians and staff support the patient portal because it can potentially reduce call volume and may contribute to better informed and more engaged patients.

Why do medical assistants use patient portals?

Medical assistants promoted the patient portal as a way for patients to establish a direct line of communication with their provider. Patients registered with the portal can avoid using the BVCHC call center, which receives a large volume of calls.

What is BVCHC portal?

BVCHC found it helpful to designate point persons for portal enrollment, such as medical assistants, to engage patients one on one. Consequently, providers are not burdened with the enrollment process, but they can encourage patients to use the portal. Moreover, assigning a dedicated triage nurse to serve as the gatekeeper for messages coming through the portal has eased provider concerns about email volume and time required for patient communication.

What is N#EHR?

Patient-Specific Education Resources.#N#EHR has an integrated patient education tool that allows clinical staff to search and select from more than 600 summaries on diagnoses and symptoms and more than 1,000 medications. Materials, which are available and English and Spanish, can be printed out and reviewed with patients at the time of the visit.

Summary

Individuals’ rates of being offered and subsequently accessing their patient portal increased significantly between 2018 and 2019, but did not change in 2020.

Data Source and Methods

Data are from the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).

Suggested Citation

Johnson C, Richwine C, & Patel V. (September 2021). Individuals’ Access and Use of Patient Portals and Smartphone Health Apps, 2020. ONC Data Brief, no.57. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology: Washington DC.