decrease patient portal use

How does patient portal implementation improve quality of patient care?

Of those who used the portal, active users had a higher odds of being readmitted within 30 days. Health care systems should consider strategies to: (1) increase overall use of patient portals and (2) target patients with the highest comorbidity scores to reduce hospital readmissions. Keywords: Electronic health records and systems; meaningful ...

Can patient portals reduce hospital readmissions?

Jun 06, 2016 · Despite their many potential benefits, patient portals have been underutilized, especially by patients from racial and ethnic minorities [4]. Some reasons for low usage may include patients’ lack of interest, not feeling that the portal was helpful, physicians not discussing the portal with them, or lack of a computer or Internet access [4].

Do patient portals improve access to personal health information among older adults?

indicates that patient portal use can increase patients’ understanding of their health conditions, improve patient safety, reduce caregiver burden, increase medication adherence, and improve the quality of both preventive and follow-up care. There is also some evidence to suggest that patient portal use can improve clinical outcomes.

What is a patient portal?

Using the Patient Portal to Decrease Unnecessary Patient Visits. Attendees from the ONS 41st Annual Congress were invited to write a blog post to share the Big Change they experienced as a result of attending Congress. Congratulations to Margie McDonal, MSN, RN, CBCN®, on submitting an honorable mention and receiving a free one-year membership!

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.May 14, 2019

What are the disadvantages of patient portals?

Even though they should improve communication, there are also disadvantages to patient portals....Table of ContentsGetting Patients to Opt-In.Security Concerns.User Confusion.Alienation and Health Disparities.Extra Work for the Provider.Conclusion.Nov 11, 2021

How do you improve patient portal?

Here are some ways to encourage patient enrollment:Include information about the patient portal on your organization's website.Provide patients with an enrollment link before the initial visit to create a new account.Encourage team members to mention the patient portal when patients call to schedule appointments.More items...•Jun 25, 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 is the purpose of 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.Sep 29, 2017

What are the downsides in restricting access to Ehrs?

Barriers Restricting Access to EHR Data in Support of Patient Safety and Privacy Laws Can Lead to Diagnostic Errors, Some Involving Clinical Laboratory Tests.Nov 7, 2016

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.

How do you optimize patient portals for patient engagement and meet meaningful use requirements?

Meet Meaningful Use Requirements The portal must be engaging and user- friendly, and must support patient-centered outcomes. The portal also must be integrated into clinical encounters so the care team uses it to convey information, communicate with patients, and support self-care and decision-making as indicated.

What safeguards are in place for patient portals?

Patient portals have privacy and security safeguards in place to protect your health information. To make sure that your private health information is safe from unauthorized access, patient portals are hosted on a secure connection and accessed via an encrypted, password-protected logon.

What are the challenges of using electronic health records and patient portals?

4 Problems With Electronic Health RecordsSecurity Risks From Criminal Computer Hackers. ... Data Bottlenecks Because of a Poorly Designed Interface. ... Staff Needs Training to Switch from Paper to Electronic Health Records. ... Individuals With Poor Typing Skills May Be Slowed Down Using an EHR.More items...•Oct 16, 2019

What are the disadvantages of personal health records?

Are there drawbacks to PHRs? Building a complete health record takes some time. You have to collect and enter all your health information. Only a minority of doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and insurance companies can send information electronically to a PHR that isn't part of a patient portal.

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.

When did Dover Family Physicians adopt EHR?

Dover Family Physicians adopted an electronic health record (EHR) system in 2008 with a goal of improving the quality of patient care and especially strengthening preventive care services. The practice has focused on ways to use the EHR to engage patients and their family members in their health and healthcare through a patient portal implementation. The practice, located in Dover, Delaware, has four physicians and two physician assistants, and provides primary care to more than 800 patients weekly.

How long does it take for a nurse to respond to a patient?

The practice established standards for response times of within 4 hours for more urgent questions to 2 days for prescription refills

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.

How long does it take for a hospital to readmission?

Hospital readmission is measured as having more than one hospital admission within a 30-day period, and is a key clinical quality measure for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) alternative payment programs. When patients were frequent patient portal users, they yielded 2 percent fewer hospital readmissions, the researchers reported.

How does a patient portal work?

And as a result, the patient portal works to cut healthcare costs, promising a positive return on investment for healthcare organizations. When patients are healthier, they require fewer healthcare interventions, and in turn spark less healthcare spending.

What is Capterra software?

Capterra, an organization that identifies ideal software solutions for specific business needs, talked to actual users (patients, in this case) to determine what’s optimal in the patient portal experience. Capterra has identified some core functional characteristics that the best solutions share.

Is there a segment of your patient population that just isn't interested in using a patient portal?

Let’s face it, there will always be a segment of your patient population that just isn’t interested in using a patient portal. But with so much of life now conducted online, the good news is that robust design and usefulness will engage most patients.