Not all patient portals are created equal. They are often hard to use, lack relevant features and can be riddled with technical bugs.
The end result: poor adoption rates by patients and missed opportunities to optimize workflows by providers.
A well-designed patient portal can offer numerous benefits for healthcare providers and patients alike. Providers are able to optimize their workflow by digitizing tasks such as scheduling appointments, thereby reducing the administrative work required by staff. Furthermore, features like appointment reminders have proven to reduce no show rates and the usage of patient portals has been linked to improving patient retention.
For patients, portals offer the convenience of being able to complete tasks such as paying medical bills and ordering prescription refills from the comfort of their home, as well as the opportunity to become more engaged with their physicians.