patient portal adoption statistics

by Elsie Prosacco PhD 5 min read

Patient Portal Adoption Rates: A Systematic Literature …

35 hours ago Our meta-analysis showed an overall mean adoption rate of 52% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 42 to 62%). Rates differed markedly between study types: controlled experiments yielded a mean adoption rate of 71% (95% CI 64 to 79%), compared to 23% (95% CI, 13 to 33%) in … >> Go To The Portal


Results: Of total patients, 2352 (51.2%) were portal adopters, and of them, 632 (26.8%) were active inpatient users. Portal adoption was associated with patients who were young, female, married, with higher income, and had more frequent hospitalizations (P <.05).

Although most accounts find that patient portal adoption lingers at 90 percent, the Government Accountability Office revealed that patient portal use rates are at less than one-third of patients.Jul 31, 2018

Full Answer

What is the adoption rate of adoption in clinical trials?

Our meta-analysis showed an overall mean adoption rate of 52% (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 42 to 62%). Rates differed markedly between study types: controlled experiments yielded a mean adoption rate of 71% (95% CI 64 to 79%), compared to 23% (95% CI, 13 to 33%) in real-world experiments.

How many people accessed their patient portal in 2020?

Among individuals offered a patient portal, more than six in 10 accessed it at least once in 2020 – this represents an 11 percentage point increase from 2017. ★ Among individuals who were offered access to their patient portal, about three in 10 accessed their portal one to two times in 2020.

Why do older adults adopt patient portals?

These participants express enthusiasm about the access to health information, direct communication with providers, and ease of scheduling that patient portals offer. These factors appear to serve as important facilitators for adoption of patient portals by older adults.

What is the forecast period of patient portal market research report?

The patient portal market was valued at USD 2,608.5 million in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 5,980.5 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 14.83% during the forecast period. As COVID-19 march the globe the need for data sharing across various platforms and with patients has become essential.

What percent of patients use patient portals?

Nearly 40 percent of individuals nationwide accessed a patient portal in 2020 – this represents a 13 percentage point increase since 2014.

How effective are patient portals?

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 top barriers to patient portal adoption use?

Burying lab results or not offering access to clinician notes will likely keep patients from seeing the utility of the portal. Even if providers offer this health data, making it difficult for patients to navigate to it will reduce the utility in the technology.

How do I increase patient portal adoption?

How to Improve Patient Portal Adoption, Registration RatesConduct patient outreach, education.Considering hard-to-reach populations.Using the patient portal in public health efforts.

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.

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.

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.

Who isn't using patient portals and why evidence and implications from a national sample of US adults?

Sixty-three percent reported not using a portal during the prior year. In multivariable analysis, we found that nonusers were more likely to be male, be on Medicaid, lack a regular provider, and have less than a college education, compared to users.

What are the factors affecting patients use of personal health records?

Four of those factors positively affect patients' intention to use: internet access, perceived usefulness, facilitating conditions, and internet use. On the other hand, there was no effect of three factors on intention to use: ethnicity, sex, and health status.

How do you implement a patient portal?

9 Steps to Implement a New Patient Portal SolutionResearch Different Portal Solutions. ... Look for the Right Portal Features. ... Get Buy-In from Key Stakeholders. ... Evaluate and Enhance Existing Workflows. ... Develop a Comprehensive Onboarding Plan. ... Be Prepared for a Successful Go-Live. ... Seek Out Painless Portal Migration.

Are patient portals safe?

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 happens if a physician is not implementing EHR when they are eligible to?

Now, physicians who fail to participate in MU will receive a penalty in the form of reduced Medicare reimbursements. Physicians must use certified electronic health records technology (CEHRT) and demonstrate meaningful use through an attestation process at the end of each MU reporting period to avoid the penalty.

What is the importance of educating patients about the portal?

After promoting the portal at the initial launch, it is critical to reinforce the value of using the portal and to periodically undertake promotional efforts, especially when new portal features are rolled out.

When was the NextMD portal rolled out?

Patients First leadership views the patient portal as an important way to support “patients as partners.” The NextMD patient portal was rolled out in August 2010 and serves three core functions:

Why do providers need to adjust to completing their notes at the time of service?

Providers need to adjust to completing their notes at the time of service and writing their notes in plain language because they will be read by patients, rather than relayed to patients by medical personnel. Also, providers and patients need to adjust to secure messaging as a new mode of communication.

Can patients access lab results?

Currently, patients can access their lab results and clinical summaries on the patient portal . Notifications are sent to patients’ personal e-mail alerting them when results or summaries have been posted to the portal and instructing them to login to the system to access the materials.

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.

Where was the retrospective review of 4594 cancer patients conducted?

A retrospective review of 4594 adult hospitalized cancer patients was conducted between 2012 and 2014 at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, comparing portal adopters, who registered for a portal account prior to hospitalization, with nonadopters. Adopters were classified by their portal activity during hospitalization as active or inactive inpatient users. Univariate and several logistic and linear regression models were used for analysis.

How does information technology improve patient safety?

Several studies have assumed that information technology systems have the potential to improve patient safety by identifying errors in medications and preventing adverse drug reactions. Yet, limited evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of a portal as a tool in reducing adverse events. One recent study by Kelly et al. found that 8% of parents with hospitalized children recognized errors in their child’s medication list after using an inpatient portal application [ 46 ]. Further optimistic views about the ability of portals to reduce errors were derived from patient participation in care, where patients could notify clinicians of their medication allergies, unexpected toxicity symptoms, and lapses in care to prevent adverse events [ 50, 75 – 77 ]. Among surgical inpatients who were portal users, postoperative infection was their most frequent ICD-9 code, suggesting that experiencing a safety-event may activate patients to follow up their personal health information to avoid further complications [ 63 ]. In contrast to this evidence, our study did not find an association between portal adoption or use and adverse events. Likewise, a randomized controlled trial by Weingart et al. did not find sufficient evidence to support an association between adverse drug events and portal use [ 51 ]. Earlier research reported that patient history evaluation in cancer care is more focused, providing the patient an opportunity to recall medical and medication information to prevent errors. [ 78, 79] In addition, most adverse events at hospitals are underreported and the events in our data were limited to those reported by providers. A new initiative within the portal that is gaining popularity and has the potential to prevent errors is the OpenNotes national movement, which invites patients to read their clinicians’ notes online and report back errors or safety concerns that, in turn, may avert mistakes from happening [ 80, 81 ]. Hence, it opens up a new possibility to engage patients as safety partners through their reported documentation errors.

What is the medical admission for cancer?

Medical admissions for cancer patients are usually associated with investigating the origin and cause of disease, or evaluating chemo or radiation treatments, compared to surgical admissions that involve typical procedural routines and surgical recovery that may fully occupy the patient’s time in the hospital [ 73 ].

When was the Health Services Model developed?

The model was initially developed in 1968 to understand health services use and later revised to include consumer satisfaction and dimensions of health status [ 54 ]. Shortly after the model was developed, health services use was portrayed as a health behavior influenced by multiple factors [ 55 ].

Is portal use inpatient or outpatient?

Portal use has been studied among outpatients, but its utility and impact on inpatients is unclear. This study describes portal adoption and use among hospitalized cancer patients and investigates associations with selected safety, utilization, and satisfaction measures.

Which country has the largest patient portal market?

North America has been the largest patient portal market due to wide technological advancements in the region. Countries, such as the United States and Canada, have been successful in implementing IT technologies in their healthcare systems, which as a result, may boost the market growth.

What is a patient portal?

As per the scope of the report, the patient portal is a web-based access point that is connected with the electronic health records (EHR) systems and is focused on patient’s access to health records. The patients can share their health information and communicate remotely. These allow patients to look into various data points. Some portals allow patients to check medical history data and view demographics.

What are the technologies that are used in healthcare?

Healthcare technology, genomics, connected devices, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence are generating vast amounts of health data and insights, which are enabling healthcare providers to make better and faster diagnoses and more informed treatment decisions.

How do patient portals empower consumers?

When used effectively, patient portals can empower consumers by enabling active management of their own care. However, we know little about how patient portal use fits into the broader personal health information management (PHIM) practices of various groups, such as older adults.

How old are Portal users?

Portal users ranged in age from 61 to 93 years , and most lived independently in a private residence (60%) and had college education or higher (67%). Although portal nonusers were similar in age, fewer were college educated (53%) and more lived in retirement or assisted living facilities (74%).