Tips to Encourage Patients to Use Patient Portals

The medical industry, much like the rest of the world, has observed a rapid evolution — driven mainly by technology. This has, of course, led to the industry gaining access to countless valuable tools and solutions to aid in their many endeavors across the ecosystem. One such tool that has gained quite a bit of popularity of late is the patient portal. What are they? They are essentially websites that seek to help empower patients with round-the-clock and easy access to their health-related information. All patients need are proper credentials, a device via which they can access the patient portal, and an internet connection, of course. It is simple enough and yet seems to offer a world of convenience to everyone involved in the ecosystem, right? Right.

This is why more and more hospitals and medical facilities have taken to the concept so eagerly. Unfortunately, while hospitals and the healthcare industry have been quick to realize the potential and excellent opportunity in front of them, patients have been a tad hesitant to embrace patient portals. Why? We can't deny that it is a fundamental change, especially compared to the traditional means of accessing healthcare and the relevant information that they are used to. Despite their resistance, the fact remains that patient portals are becoming increasingly central to delivering high-quality care. So, to help you out a bit, we put together a quick list of some tips to help you encourage your patients to use and engage with patient portals.

1. Embrace technology all around: One of the biggest impediments to adopting such tools is that it can often be limited, i.e., the hospital may be relying on archaic solutions for other processes while expecting patients to switch to patient portals too. And it isn't enough to just integrate advanced tools across the board; one must also ensure that these systems work well and in sync with each other to enable a truly seamless process for patients.
2. Discuss benefits with patients: This may seem like a simple enough thing to do, but most people often underestimate just how effective it can be. So, go ahead and sit your patients down to recount the countless ways in which they stand to benefit from the use of patient portals. Inform them that they can access their reports 24x7, track their treatment plans, schedule appointments, and so much more — all via a single online website.
3. Nudge for registration via appointment emails: Yet another nifty trick is to add the registration link for your patient portal with the appointment-related emails or texts you may send to patients. Doing that is very likely to deliver desired results, i.e., get patients to sign up on the patient portal.
4. Offer discounts and offers: One of the most potent and robust tricks in the book is to incentivize the patient portal. How? Offer them a discount for completing an activity, such as paying their first medical bill via the patient portal. This is a terrific push for patients to sign up and start using the portal.

So, there you have it, folks, be it a patient portal or a senior home care web development project you may be considering — encourage patients to use them for online portals are the future of the healthcare sector.

Olivia Johnson is a technical writer, love to share stuffs related to technology & development.