17 hours ago · As a healthcare provider, if you want to deliver your patients a modern healthcare experience, you must implement a patient portal. Remember: implementing portals involves challenges. But, if you take the right implementation steps, you can successfully roll out an … >> Go To The Portal
For the patient portal implementation to be most beneficial, the practice will offer patient education sessions to help patients register and to familiarize them with the portal’s features. In addition, a computer will be placed in the waiting area so staff can help patients register with the portal on the spot.
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.
For many patients, the use of Web-based information and electronic communication is “second nature”; consequently, they are comfortable using the portal. As one clinician observed, “Lots of patients are accustomed to using electronic communication now. They don’t want to have to pick up the phone anymore.”
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.
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.
Nurses see the portal as an additional service for patients, because it offers them the possibility for asking questions at any time and place suitable for the patient. Some nurses experience an increase in work load, because patients ask more non-urgent questions that otherwise would not be asked.
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...
Make enrollment open to all patients. Have staff manage portal workflow and communication before engaging providers directly. Aim to establish efficient workflows and policies, and avoid burdening providers with troubleshooting during initial rollout. The whole staff should be involved in promoting the 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.
Patient portals may enhance patient engagement by enabling patients to access their electronic medical records (EMRs) and facilitating secure patient-provider communication.
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.
Top 10 Patient Portal Software By EMRSystemsEpic EHR Software's MyChart.athenahealth EMR Software's athenaCommunicator.PrognoCIS EMR Software.Cerner Specialty Practice Management Software.eClinicalWorks EMR Software's Patient Portal and Healow App.Greenway PrimeSUITE EHR Software.NextGen Healthcare EHR Software.More items...•
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.
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.
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.
Why implement a patient portal? For practices with a website, a portal could be the next logical step. It can improve practice efficiency by allowing patients to go online to schedule appointments, preregister, pay bills, review information from their charts, and receive educational materials—all activities that otherwise would be done over the phone or in person during the office visit. And for practices that are moving on to Stage 2 of the federal meaningful use (MU) program for electronic health records (EHRs), a patient portal provides a means for satisfying the “patient electronic access” objective (see “ Portals and EHR Meaningful Use ”).
You can focus on the patient, not on the registration process. “One of the most significant improvements we have experienced with the introduction of our patient portal has been the amount of time that we get to spend with a patient,” said Denise Fridl, COT, COE, who is her practice’s chief performance officer. “If patients have already submitted their registration information prior to their visit—rather than spending 10 minutes answering a technician’s questions—we can spend more quality time talking to them about why they are here for an appointment.”
Put the signs in your waiting room, exam rooms and by the receptionist counter.
Following a patient visit, have a staff member walk the patient through the setup of their MyQuest account and personal PIN verification. Then the staff member can show the patient how to view their clinical summary while in the office. Each patient who views their information while in the office will count towards the Meaningful Use measure of having 5% of your patients view their records.
One of the most talked about changes with Stage 2 of the CMS EHR Incentive Program, is the requirement that your patients interact with their health information and communicate with you or your practice electronically. (See Appendix A for the patient engagement requirements.) This requires additional technology to enable the secure sharing of health information and the associated tracking to generate the Meaningful Use reporting. Along with that, you will need to find a way to share the message with your patients that you want to interact electronically and have the ability to do so.
Stage 1. Required Provide patients with clinical summaries for each office visit within 3 business days. This is required for more than 50% of all office visits during the reporting period. Required Provide patients with an electronic copy of their health information upon request.
Required Provide clinical summaries for patients for each office visit. This is required for more than 50% of office visit. It can be accomplished by handing printed copies to the patient or sending the information electronically.
Most practices are meeting the requirement by implementing a patient portal. Quanum EHR clients are able to take advantage of the MyQuest Patient Portal which is included with their license. In addition to having the ability to meet the Meaningful Use requirements, using a Patient Portal will put more information into your patients’ hands allowing them to better manage their own healthcare.
Patients may be especially interested in the portal at particular moments, such as when they are frustrated with telephone wait times or playing “telephone tag.” Staff members take these opportunities to encourage patients to use the portal.
Reaction to the patient portal implementation has been very positive. Patients appreciate the convenience, for example, of being able to contact the practice at any time of day or night . For many patients, the use of Web-based information and electronic communication is “second nature”; consequently, they are comfortable using the portal. As one clinician observed, “Lots of patients are accustomed to using electronic communication now. They don’t want to have to pick up the phone anymore.” Clinicians and staff members appreciate that the portal reduces call volume and “provides a fluid line of communication that works well.” They noted that communication via the portal helped to reduce miscommunication and delays that sometimes occur with phone communication.
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.
The practice established standards for response times of within 4 hours for more urgent questions to 2 days for prescription refills
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.
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.
The providers noted that patients need to be educated about clinical summaries, otherwise “many clinical summaries are likely to end up in the trash.” Consequently, providers explain the contents, purpose, and benefits of the clinical summary to patients.
Patient portals hold a lot of promise for improving relationships and interaction. They can also help your patients be better informed and more engaged in their care -- as long as everyone is equally willing to adopt the technology.
Despite this desire, using an online portal means setting up yet another username and password and learning another online tool. They have to feel that it's worth it. To get your patients to use the portal, make sure you involve marketing and education in your implementation. Your patients need to know the tool exists, understand what it can do, and learn how to use it.
The outpatient clinic utilizes eMDS EHR software. The facility is moving toward phase two of meaningful use, adapting technology to make patients records electronically available. A patient portal is a secure website that can interface with an EHR. The portal serves as a twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, access point for patients. It can provide two-way communications between patients, providers, and other staff members.
The Children’s Center Pediatric Clinic (TCCPC) and outpatient therapy program see more than 2,300 patients each year. There are not many facilities like TCCPC and its unique outpatient therapy that specializes in caring for complex medical patients. Many patients will travel long distances in order to make it to their appointments. Patient portals streamline communication and allow easy access to a child’s medical record; the parent is an active participant in their child’s healthcare. Patient portals offer secure access to patients’ health records online. The software encourages patients to access their records, communicate with providers, pay bills, and schedule appointments. The use of patient portals enhances the quality and portability of patient records.