Enhancing patient portal use drives equitable healthcare access. Ravi Patel of Lurie Children’s Hospital emphasizes its evolution, offering bidirectional communication and personalized engagement. Despite disparities, recent statistics show a surge in engagement. Lurie’s commitment to “every patient, every time” eradicates biases, fostering a universal portal approach. Efforts expand beyond the portal, addressing barriers and advocating for resources. Understanding patient preferences and refining access points remains pivotal. Achieving digital health equity is a continuous journey, ensuring inclusivity and diverse engagement avenues.
Patient portals revolutionize healthcare access but pose challenges in achieving digital health equity. Ravi Patel underscores their transformative impact, enabling bidirectional communication and personalized engagement. Despite early disparities, recent statistics reveal a notable rise in portal utilization. Lurie Children’s Hospital’s commitment to inclusivity drives a universal portal approach, eliminating implicit biases. Efforts extend beyond portals, targeting barriers and advocating for resources. Understanding patient preferences and refining access channels remains pivotal in this pursuit of equitable healthcare access.
In the realm of healthcare, the patient portal has evolved into a pivotal platform that bridges patients with healthcare systems, offering a comprehensive digital experience. However, the significance of achieving digital health equity cannot be overlooked, as the utilization of patient portals can either mitigate or perpetuate existing health disparities.
Ravi Patel, Vice President of Digital Health at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, highlighted the transformative role of patient portals. According to Patel, these portals redefine patient engagement and access to healthcare services, especially among newer patients navigating the healthcare landscape.
Patient portals encompass a wide array of functionalities, ranging from appointment scheduling and access to medical records to communication with healthcare providers. They serve as guides for patients, facilitating their journey through the healthcare system, be it picking up prescriptions or coordinating referrals.
Patel emphasized the shift from the initial stage of mere record access, as seen during the meaningful use era, to the current bidirectional mode of communication. Initially, the assumption was that providing access would naturally lead to patient engagement. However, this approach proved insufficient, and organizations faced challenges in encouraging patient interaction with the portal.
Despite the widespread availability of patient portals following the meaningful use program, patient engagement remained relatively low. While access reached around 90%, only about 25% of patients were actively utilizing these tools. Nevertheless, recent statistics from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT indicate a significant increase, with 57% of patients accessing their medical records via the portal, signifying a notable rise in engagement.
The evolution of patient portals, offering more sophisticated features and aligning with healthcare consumerism trends, has driven user interest. Patients now receive prompts and notifications, guiding them through necessary actions, making the experience more personalized and functional.
However, disparities exist in portal utilization across demographics. Reports indicated that Black and Hispanic patients were less likely to be offered access compared to their White counterparts. Lurie Children’s Hospital witnessed a similar trend in the past, but efforts focused on digital health equity led to a surge in portal adoption, reaching 87%.
Enhancing patient portal adoption involved not only improving its functionality but also addressing issues related to user interface, enrollment procedures, data management, and support services. Additionally, a critical shift occurred in embracing an ethos of “every patient, every time,” eradicating implicit biases in portal provision.
Recognizing the importance of offering the portal universally, regardless of assumptions about patients’ access to technology or digital literacy, was crucial. This approach allowed patients to decide their preferences or express limitations in using the technology.
Moreover, Lurie’s commitment to digital health equity extended beyond the portal itself. Efforts included assessing patient feedback through surveys and advocating for broader resources to overcome barriers like low digital literacy or inadequate internet access.
This comprehensive approach enabled Lurie to better understand and address the challenges faced by the 12% of patients not utilizing the portal, strengthening their case for improved resources and support from public agencies.
Moving forward, Lurie aims to continuously refine its processes, understanding patient perspectives to tailor both digital and traditional access points. Acknowledging that not every patient will prefer the portal, the hospital seeks to shape its approach, ensuring diverse avenues for patient engagement.
Overall, enhancing patient portal use catalyzes achieving digital health equity. Lurie Children’s Hospital’s proactive strategies and commitment to inclusivity mark progress, reflected in increased portal adoption. The ethos of “every patient, every time” eradicates biases, fostering universal portal access. Efforts extend beyond portals, targeting barriers and advocating for resources. Future endeavors prioritize understanding patient preferences and refining access channels to ensure comprehensive engagement avenues. The journey toward equitable healthcare access is ongoing, necessitating continued efforts for inclusivity and universal access to digital healthcare tools.
