How Patient Portal Can Revamp the Overall Healthcare Experience
June 30, 2022Technological advancement has left its mark in almost every sector. Healthcare is no exception. Things like AI-powered instruments and HMS software are commonplace in hospitals and clinics. Continuing on this path, Patient Portals bring a new level of convenience to the patients.
A patient portal can be beneficial in many ways. It not only fastracks communication between patients and healthcare professionals but also holds patient health records digitally. Today, in this blog, we’ll explore how Patient Portals are changing the landscape of traditional healthcare services. So, stay till the end.
What is a Patient Portal?
Primarily aimed at assisting patients in accessing health data 24×7, a Patient Portal is a web-based tool that connects patients with hospitals and clinics. With the help of patient portals, you can retrieve various data points related to your health, like physician’s notes and lab reports.
Patient portals are mainly of two types, i.e., standalone portals and integrated portals. Standalone portals only provide limited information, mostly lab test reports. While integrated portals, being a part of an electronic health record system, offer much more info than just test results.
Some advanced portals also let you book your upcoming appointments and pay bills online. The main purpose of these portals is to boost patients’ convenience, eventually resulting in increased customer loyalty.
What Makes Patient Portals a Must-have Tool?
The benefits of patient portals are not only limited to the patients but also enable the healthcare players to streamline the whole process of treatment. Here are 5 reasons why patient portals are a must-have tool in the modern healthcare ecosystem.
#1 Cost-effective Patient Interaction
Earlier, patients need to make a call or a visit to avail of any medical services. It required human intervention to register patient requests. It was an inconvenience for both the patient and the medical institute.
Now, with patient portals, the process of registering new requests is fully automated. These portals not only let patients register for checkups and testing with a few clicks of the mouse but also help institutes to save money by lowering staff strength.
#2 Prioritize Communications
Patient portals have made the job of medical professionals hassle-free. A doctor or nurse can move the non-urgent communications online instead of answering over the phone. Patients can put queries on the website or app, which will be answered in due time by the back-end staff.
This online mode of communication will leave the phone lines free for the most vital calls. Also, the staff answering non-essential calls earlier can take time to sort out more important things.
#3 Minimize Visits with Telemedicine
State of the art patient portals offers virtual interaction with physicians. Thus the non-essential patient visits can be reduced with teleconsultation and telemedicine.
Patients with chronic diseases have to consult with doctors at regular intervals. These routine consultations can be shifted to online medium leaving the facility less crowded and more accommodating for emergency cases.
#4 Building a Loyal Customer Base
People these days want convenience more than anything else. Patient portals take convenience to the next level. Patients can store and access electronic medical records online and can connect with doctors through secure messaging.
The ease of carrying out health checkups and tests hugely contributes to building a loyal customer base for healthcare establishments. Once a patient gets used to a portal, he hardly seeks any other option.
Concluding Words
According to Grand View Research, the global patient portals had a market size of $2.4 billion in 2021. And it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.3% in this decade. These figures show the rapid implementation of patient portals in the global healthcare system that eventually reflects the usefulness of the tool.
If you’re looking to join the patient portal revolution by enforcing one for your hospital, then check out SoftClinic for an end-to-end hospital management solution.
