Patient Portal Usage May Reduce the Economic Burden Of US Healthcare

A patient portal is a secure online website that allows patients easy, 24-hour access to their health information and medical records. Referred to as the patient’s electronic health record, these are connected to the health care institution’s electronic health records. Patient portals were originally introduced in the late 1990s to enhance patient engagement. However, it was after 2006 that we saw an extensive adoption of patient portal usage. Studies have suggested a positive correlation between patient portal usage and health outcomes. Specifically, there is a positive correlation between patient engagement and patient portal usage. Increased patient engagement is related to enhanced patient participation in their health care management which in turn leads to decreased office visits, better adherence to treatment regimens, increased disease awareness, and overall increased patient satisfaction. Together, these factors contribute to a marked improvement in health care outcomes, particularly in the case of chronic diseases. Ninety percent of health care organizations offer patients access to patient portals (as of 2018). However, despite the adoption of patient portal usage, there is currently a paucity of systematic measurements of patient portal utilization. The lack of consistency across health care institutions regarding patient portal utilization impedes future research on how to improve patient portal usage. The review study performed at Houston Methodist sheds light on several crucial factors that contribute to the lack of a systematic approach in studying patient portal utilization. Patient portals offer several advantages. They allow patients to securely view and print their medical records including doctor visits, immunizations, laboratory results and discharge summaries. On the other hand, patient portals also allow patients to request prescription refills, schedule doctor visits, make payments and message their healthcare team with any concerns. Notably, patient portals greatly supported the management of the COVID-19 pandemic since many patients were able to take advantage of these platforms to view their test and laboratory results, book appointments and access patient education materials. On the flip side, several disparities exist across health care institutions regarding the usage of patient portals. For instance, some health care institutions mostly use patient portals for appointment scheduling, updating demographic data and conducting patient assessments prior to doctor visits. Others use patient portals mainly for sharing laboratory results and exchanging messages with patients. The lack of consistency in patient portal usage and adoption makes it difficult to create benchmarks and compare metrics.