Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

Tips to improve patient engagement with a fully utilized patient portal.

As the results have been mixed with the implementation of Meaningful Use over the past five years, patient portals and EHRs still have a long way to go to meet the demands of the future of health IT, ACI, and help providers qualify for the incentive pay outlined in MIPS.

Patient Portals Are A Priority

Even though products are evolving to match the new MACRA-backed standards and may not be up to par yet, it’s still wise to take advantage of what you have now, putting into place a plan and portal that works, so you’ll be ready with ideas to transition over to new software and better programs in the future.

Here’s why: As you know, patients oftentimes hold back during exams and then ask questions about care plans, medications, and follow-ups days and weeks later. A patient portal can help alleviate the stress of this common practice issue.

For example, let’s say your patient with a chronic care plan needs his lab work data, and it’s June, when you are understaffed due to office vacations. The patient needs access to this quickly for an upcoming appointment and care revisions. Uploading the data to the patient portal eases the burden threefold—it cuts out the need for the traditional phone call by an overwhelmed staff, it reduces the cost by eliminating a physical letter with the results, and the patient gains a more compliant view of his comprehensive data.

Top 7 Reasons Why You Need A Patient Portal

Patient portals are just smart business. They aid providers and will be essential in the future, highlighting that your practice puts the patient first.

Here is a quick go-to list of the top 7 patient portal objectives:

• Keep contact information updated easily and efficiently.
• Decrease the number of phone calls by staff.
• Reach patients quickly by email.
• Relay forgotten exam details, advice, prescriptions, and referrals immediately via the portal.
• Answer patient questions more quickly and concisely giving a higher level of quality care.
• Provide more comprehensive care, particularly for patients with chronic conditions who need more assistance and follow-up.
• Cut down on administrative costs and decrease your carbon footprint.

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