patient portal material

by Vicente Kuhlman 7 min read

What is a patient portal? | HealthIT.gov

6 hours ago MEDITECH offers table tents as convenient, self-standing, promotional materials that can be placed on any horizontal surfaces, such as tables, counters, or desks, to highlight the Patient and Consumer Health Portal and its functionality. Our table tent design allows you to print two tents per sheet of paper. >> Go To The Portal


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

Should you add patient education materials to your patient portal?

There are several benefits to adding patient education materials into patient portals, Moriarty and Harris explained. First, it will improve the patient-provider relationship. “One of the most important parts of the patient-provider relationship is trust,” the pair wrote.

Is your practice ready for new patient portal software?

To optimize your workflow: Digitizing manual tasks (e.g., billing and scheduling) can free up your staff, allowing them to dedicate their time to activities more directly related to patient care. Once your practice is ready for new patient portal software, take some time to consider what functionality is on your wish list.

Where can I get a poster design for the patient portal?

MEDITECH offers a customizable poster design that you can download, print, and display on your walls to promote the Patient and Consumer Health Portal to your community. This page includes our poster template in several file formats.

What does patient portal contain?

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.

What elements should be incorporated into a patient portal?

A robust patient portal should include the following features:Clinical summaries.Secure (HIPAA-compliant) messaging.Online bill pay.New patient registration.Ability to update demographic information.Prescription renewals and contact lens ordering.Appointment requests.Appointment reminders.More items...

What types of data are included in a patient portal and PHR?

PRHs can contain:Doctors' names and contact information.Allergy lists.Drug or medication lists.A record of illnesses or surgeries.A vaccination record.Chronic health conditions.Living wills or advance directives.Family histories.

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.

What are the duties of a portal in hospital?

Essential Functions:Patient Overview, Assignments and Case Load:Documentation:Patient Navigation Service:Use of Educational Materials and Resources:New Patient Orientation:

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.

What information should be included in the PHR?

What information goes into a PHR?Your doctor's names and phone numbers.Allergies, including drug allergies.Your medications, including dosages.List and dates of illnesses and surgeries.Chronic health problems, such as high blood pressure.Living will or advance directives.Family history.Immunization history.

What are three personal health records?

personal health record (PHR)Information about visits to healthcare professionals.Allergies.Family history.Immunizations.Information about any conditions or diseases.A list of medications taken.Records of hospitalization.Information about any surgeries or procedures performed.

What is the difference between a patient portal and a Personal Health Record PHR?

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).

How much does IT cost to implement patient portal?

A patient portal app for the health care sector usually costs $12,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $5,000 or as high as $20,000.

How do you improve patient portals?

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...•

What is a standalone patient portal?

✔️ Standalone patient portal: Supports a limited number of functions. This is usually just one key function, like accessing lab test results or scheduling appointments. The database and/or file storage solution behind it is rarely connected to larger systems (such as data exchange with a powerful HMS or EHR).

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 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.

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.

What is a highlight in healthcare?

Highlight: Allows patients to send messages from the portal to the healthcare provider in a safe and secure manner. Provides patients with a convenient alternative to face-to-face appointments, telephone contact, letters, and e-mails to send messages.

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.

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.

Need Technical Assistance?

For questions or technical assistance regarding the NIH Clinical Center Patient Portal, please call 1-855-644-6445. Technical assistance is available Monday through Friday (except holidays) 7:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.

FollowMyHealth Educational Materials

The following resources are available for our patients to help guide them through the use of the NIH Clinical Center FollowMyHealth ® Patient Portal. Please reach out to our Portal Support Team for additional assistance. They can be reached on 1-855-644-6445, Monday through Friday (except federal holidays) 7:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.