Patient portals
No, a patient portal isn’t a portal to another world or an alternate reality. A patient portal is a secure (thanks, HIPAA) online application that lets patients communicate with healthcare providers 24/7. Many EHRs offer a Web-based patient portal application that’s linked to the provider’s mainframe, so patients can be active participants in the management of their healthcare right along with physicians, nurses, practitioners, pharmacists, specialists, and even laboratories. Currently both the VA and Kaiser have the most experience with patient portals and more than 4 million Kaiser patients are connected to their health information and their physicians.
Regardless of what you choose to recommend to patients, remember that most portals follow similar guidelines and offer the platform necessary for patients to interact with other stakeholders. This isn’t to say that patients can go into their records and alter, say, test results, but they can post new health developments (such as daily blood sugar numbers) or ask questions of their providers. Most portals allow patients to
Complete forms online prior to an office or hospital visit.
Request prescription refills.
View their medical records.
Review billing statements.
Set up online payments.
View lab results or diagnostic images.
Schedule or change appointments.
Communicate securely with providers.
Providing patients with access to their health information is a critical component to qualify for those federal incentive ...
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