Why Patients Love Patient Portals

It’s 2018, and more and more patients are starting to understand and explore the idea of what it means to be healthy and live a healthy life. They are beginning to ask questions, seek answers and develop a better comprehension towards topics that surround healthcare and their personal health. The tool that has helped to cultivate an atmosphere where it is simple for patients to become engaged with their providers is the patient portal.

The patient portal has bridged a large gap in information, communication, patient engagement, and patient growth in recent years. Unlike ever before, patients are relying on the patient portal for many different reasons and it is changing the way that healthcare is delivered to individuals all over the country. There are many different reasons why patients love patient portals and how they benefit from them.

1)    Better Communication with Provider

In the past, it has been very difficult for patients to get the answers they have wanted from their providers. Without a way to ask their provider a quick question, patients felt discouraged to ask any questions at all. They would either have to wait until their next appointment or forget to ask that question entirely. One of the main reasons that patients love the patient portal is that it allows them to communicate with their provider quickly and efficiently from almost anywhere. With a compatible mobile device, PC, or laptop, patients can message their provider with questions, concerns, or feedback then go on with their day. Their provider can then respond with answers as to what to do next or write prescriptions accordingly. Having clear, efficient communication through a patient portal helps build the patient-provider relationship as well as boost a patient’s engagement in their own health.

2)    Access to Information

Today, patients have better and clearer access to their personal health information (PHI) than ever before. With the patient portal, an individual can quickly log on to review and/or update their PHI so that they do not have to do so in the office. They can also take a look at their vitals and labs, along with any provided doctor’s notes, to quickly read results and discuss a treatment plan (if needed) with their physician. Many patient portals show a user a visual representation of their health over time in a bar chart or graph. This helps patients easily see how their health habits have improved over time or have declined, encouraging them to make better choices for the future. A patient who understands their health data within the patient portal is prepared to make the necessary habit changes, stay engaged in their health and continue the discussion of their health with their doctor over time.

3)    Transparency

Something that has always been frustrating for patients trying to understand their health is the lack of transparency that can occur in the healthcare industry. It has always been very difficult for patients to understand the medical billing process, as well as scheduling and even sometimes their own personal health record. With the patient portal, patients are able to review it all in one place. Integrated billing and scheduling work alongside the patient’s electronic health record and messaging center to help patients see important details surrounding their care. Integrated billing has started to help patients see their medical bills quickly, allowing them to budget and make payments on-time right from the patient portal.  Likewise, patients can request appointments from the patient portal instead of waiting for a spare moment in their busy day to call the doctor’s office and run through available dates and times for an appointment. The patient portal has also made a world’s difference when it comes to patients remembering their annual appointments, as some are able to send notifications to patients when these appointments are coming up.

The patient portal works to bridge and mend the gap that exists between providers and their patients and ensures that patients understand their personal health. Helping patients stay on top of their health by reminding them of appointments as well as quick and efficient billing notifications, the patient portal is a tool that provides full transparency helping to build trust between a patient and their doctor.

If you’re interested in offering a patient portal to your patients or would like a free demo to see how it works, contact our team. Our Product Specialists are here to help answer your questions and show you how you can improve patient engagement through a practice-specific patient portal.