Patient engagement--through electronic portals, in particular--is not just a major component of Meaningful Use Stages 2 and 3, but may also help practices save lives, according to Physicians Practice.
The article relays the story of 48-year-old Tom Smith, a patient who described himself as someone who hates calling the doctor's office and would easily dismiss symptoms to avoid missing work. If it weren't for the ease and efficiency of his physician's patient portal, Smith might have continued to ignore symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding until it was too late. But because of David Voran, M.D.'s, prompt response to Smith's inquiry about his symptoms advising him come into the office right away, Smith got timely, life-saving treatment for what turned out to be a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.
Voran is pleased with the portal's functionality in getting the patients who need to be seen in the door and handling other cases more efficiently, according to the article. "When the patient sends a message, those on the average take a minute to respond to," he told Physicians Practice. "It's not unusual for a patient to message me…and ask the question 'should I come in?' We've been able to tailor the quality of the visit by eliminating unnecessary visits. The portal reduces one more barrier to communication."
But despite the advantages of portal adoption, a related Physicians Practice article points out that not all patients are easily sold on the idea. Some of the barriers keeping patients from using portals include misconceptions that the online application will make their lives more complicated, rather than easier, and a lack of awareness that the technology is even available.
"When you talk about the portal to patients, it's critical to explain how it directly benefits them--in terms they care about," noted Physicians Practice author Stephen Snyder. "In our experience, the most successful practices we've observed spend time developing an 'elevator pitch,' presenting in 30 seconds or less how a portal will benefit the patient (e.g., ability to request prescription refills online, real-time access to medical records, secure patient-provider communication, online bill payment and scheduling, etc.)." In addition, offering a mobile application that allows patients to access your portal on their smartphones may increase patient interest.
To learn more:
- read the Physicians Practice articles here and here