Parsing the Patient Portal: Why Engagement Strategies Must Go Beyond It

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According to a recent survey from HIMSS Analytics¹, major healthcare organizations are assessing current portal use and looking for ways to further enhance patient engagement. The survey found the top motivating factors for patient engagement to be the following: to enhance and improve community health (77%), to build brand loyalty for patients (77%) and to meet meaningful use requirements (60%).

Reasons for portal adoption—the current “go to” engagement tool on the healthcare scene—were also somewhat varied:

• Meeting meaningful use requirements for functionality and data sharing from a single source (71%)
• Using portals that offer patient services, technology and content (54%)
• Using portals as a configurable, interoperable information exchange platform with multi-source data sharing (51%)
• Using portals provided by electronic health record vendor of choice (66%)

With a predominant and short-term focus on meaningful use, many healthcare IT companies are in the process of designing products that span the entire care continuum—from the time a patient first engages with a provider until treatment is completed. These “next-generation” portals will allow patients to become partners in their own care, by offering features such as e-visits or e-consultations (80% of respondents are seeking), interoperability across multiple providers (70% seeking), health evaluation and coaching (70% seeking) and televisits (50% seeking)

Overall, healthcare leaders are looking to better align portals with the definition of patient engagement and ensure that accessible healthcare tools provide patients with appropriate decision-making powers when it comes to health and wellness.

For more details on HIMSS’ recent patient portal survey, check out Healthcare Informatics’ coverage here!

SOURCE: Healthcare Informatics

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

¹HIMSS Analytics is the marketing intelligence division of HIMSS.

The Verdict Is In: Doctors Value Video-Based Care

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According to HIMSS Analytics’ recently released 2014 U.S. Telemedicine study, two-way video is proving to be a key component of value-based care for the foreseeable future. This study, considered the first installation of HIMSS Analytics’ new “Essentials Briefs” series, tracks a technology strategy with increasing popularity among healthcare providers seeking ways to deliver better—and more cost-effective— care to larger patient populations. HIMSS reports a shift from volume-based to value-based care within many organizations, and telemedicine technologies are aiding in this transition.

Noteworthy findings from HIMSS Analytics’ Study include:

• 46% of respondents utilize up to four telemedicine technologies within their respective organizations.
• Two-way video/webcam services are the most widely used (58%) and most widely considered (67%) for those making a telemedicine investment.

Polling both hospitals and private practices, HIMSS’ first Brief installation offers insights into how and why U.S. providers are adopting telemedicine tools by addressing specific topics such as integration with electronic health records.

Source: Healthcare IT News and HIMSS Analytics

For more information on current telemedicine adoption trends, check out an overview of the HIMSS Analytics 2014 Telemedicine Study here

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts™ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.