patient portal in the news

by Prof. Arvilla Luettgen I 8 min read

Individuals’ Access and Use of Patient Portals and …

36 hours ago  · For years, patient portals have been considered the most efficient tool for patient engagement. According to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Stat poll, by 2018 patient portals were employed by about 90% of the surveyed providers. However, this titanic effort in patient portal development alone seems to be insufficient for portal ... >> Go To The Portal


What's new in the new patient portal?

MNGI has launched a new Patient Portal. The new Patient Portal does require NEW enrollment for all patients. Messaging - Communicate through secure messaging with your provider or care team Portal Documents - View your health information, including prep information, visit summaries, lab results and more

What can I do in the patient portal?

The Patient Portal gives patients 24/7 access to records, labs, and secure messages, anywhere and on any device. Patients can update demographics, complete forms and questionnaires, request prescription refills, access educational materials, request appointments through healow® Open Access®, join a telehealth visit, make a payment, and more.

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 the difference between individual and patient portal users?

Individuals who access their portal at least once in the past year are referred to as “patient portal users”. Patient portal users who access their health information using multiple methods access their portal more frequently than those who use only one method.

What is the future of patient portals?

April 19, 2022 - It's time for healthcare professionals to begin reconsidering patient portals as not only tools for patient data access, but also as tools for building the patient-provider relationship.

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.

Is patient portal 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 are the cons of a patient portal?

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.

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.

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.

Why do patients not use patient portals?

The problem may lie with portals themselves. “They're big, they're heavy, they're full of a bunch of medical jargon, they're hard to use,” Irizarry said, explaining that patients are often overwhelmed by the sheer amount of medical information available in a traditional portal.

What are the pros and cons of using a patient portal?

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.

What percentage of hospitals use patient portals?

Over half (62 percent) of hospitals said less than one-quarter of their patient populations have registered for the patient portal.

What is the most common barrier to the use of the patient portal?

Among nonadopters (n=2828), the most prevalent barrier to patient portal adoption was patient preference for in-person communication (1810/2828, 64.00%) (Table 2). The second most common barrier was no perceived need for the patient portal (1385/2828, 48.97%).

What are the benefits of patient portals?

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.

When did patient portals start?

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.

Who is Karna Morrow?

Karna Morrow, CPC, RCC, CCS-P, is an implementation manager for Practice EHR. She has spent nearly three decades in the industry-leading electronic health record (EHR) implementations and providing consulting and training for a variety of healthcare organizations. Morrow is a frequent contributor to highly regarded industry publications and national conferences, providing insights on practice management, coding, billing and other industry-related topics.

Is telemedicine an example of change already occurring?

The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has caused a need for adapting across many industries, and healthcare is no different. The rise of telemedicine is an example of change already occurring. However, if a practice is not well-suited or doesn’t feel ready for telemedicine, they can leverage tools within the electronic health record (EHR). The first logical place to start is the patient portal.

What is the PHMG strategy?

PHMG had a strategy of ensuring that patients hear about the portal from multiple sources during each clinical visit. To execute this strategy, PHMG used several methods of communication, including:

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.”.

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.

Where is PHMG based?

PHMG is currently working with Healthwise® — a nonprofit organization based in Boise, Idaho, that develops health content and patient education solutions—to beta test the integration of Healthwise patient education materials into the eClinicalWorks EHR system.

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 Qualis important?

Qualis has also been an important resource for information about the meaningful use rules. "We felt strongly that from a quality standpoint we could not succeed without going to electronic health records. I felt very strongly we had to invest in it because it would positively affect every patient that we encounter.".

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: