Though EHRs still receive much of the attention, patient portals are under the spotlight thanks to the patient engagement requirements of Meaningful Use Stage 2.
Luckily, the financial incentives of Stage 2 aren’t the only reason patient portals have a positive impact on your practice. A portal with the right functionality will streamline patient communication in ways that enhance productivity and boosts revenue too.
The Arduous Communication Process
Patient portals are a secure, simpler means of engaging patients. Just think about the many steps involved in sending patients lab results, a daily task that should be very easy.
1) Receive results from laboratory
2) Locate and place results in file
3) Add to the stack of papers needing review
4) Assess results
5) Mail results to the patient
6) Call patient to discuss results
Going through the entire process can take several days to a week. During that time, the patient may become anxious and develop the perception they aren’t a priority to your practice.
How Patient Portals Streamline Communication
Portals allow you to quickly review lab results once they get to your office and send them directly to the patient through a secure connection.
A quality patient portal, like CareCloud Community, usually provides other capabilities that streamline interactions as well. By offering appointment request forms, HIPAA-friendly messaging capabilities, bill payment and prescription refill forms patients no longer have to call your practice every time they need something.
With your staff members off of the phones, they can dedicate themselves to more meaningful and profitable duties like moving patients through the treatment process or spending more time interacting with the patients who are actually in the office.
Patient portals are becoming the new medium for patient interaction. Hesitating on portal adoption is only going to give other practices a running start.
See how Community, CareCloud’s EHR-integrated portal, will help you take patient engagement to the next level by contacting us at 1-877-342-7517 or hello@carecloud.com.
Do you know what you need when setting up a new medical practice?