HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Encourage use of patient portals for compliance
Easy-to-use, valuable info will attract patient use
Meeting the Stage 2 meaningful use requirement that 5% of patients access their health information online to view, download, or transmit information requires more planning than just providing a patient portal, says Shane Pilcher, FHIMSS, vice president of Stoltenberg Consulting, a healthcare information technology consulting firm in Bethel Park, PA.
"This goes beyond a technology issue; it requires a change in behavior," he says. "To get people to change their behavior, you have to give them a reason to go online for health information."
The first step is to make sure you provide valuable, timely information, Pilcher suggests. He recommends that, in addition to viewing health information, a patient portal should enable a patient to do the following:
schedule appointments;
receive alerts to remind them of follow-up care;
receive reminders about physicals or preventive screenings that are due;
use interactive tools to monitor health issues for example, a tool that tracks weight loss and offers tips on ways to lose weight.
The key to making it easier for patients to contact you or learn about hospitals services is through your portal, says Susan H. Patton, a healthcare attorney at Butzel Long in Ann Arbor, MI. "If you offer instant messaging to departments or clinicians, you enable the patient to avoid looking through a telephone directory and calling, just to leave a voice message," Patton points out. "You can also offer links to health education or wellness classes offered by the hospital that can help patients better manage their health."
While training staff members to encourage patients to use the patient portal is important, consider offering a free service as an incentive to use the portal, suggests Patton. "A complimentary blood pressure screening or health seminar can be offered to people using the portal for the first time." If the portal is easy to access and the site is easy to maneuver, patients will be willing to use it in the future.
"I don't think most hospitals can create an effective patient portal internally," Patton says. "Hospital personnel have to unlearn and uncomplicate the language that is commonly used within a clinical setting and communicate in simple language that can be understood by patients of all educational levels."
Healthcare organizations that serve rural or low income populations also have to consider the lack of computer access for many of their patients, says Patton. "I've heard that hospitals are exploring a variety of ways to provide access for patients." Patton says that some hospitals are setting up computers in public locations such as libraries to provide access in the community.
"Hospitals need to approach the development of their portals in the same way banks and online retailers such as Amazon have," says Patton. "More people of all ages are using online services, but only if they make their lives easier, not more confusing."
Meeting the Stage 2 meaningful use requirement that 5% of patients access their health information online to view, download, or transmit information requires more planning than just providing a patient portal, says Shane Pilcher, FHIMSS, vice president of Stoltenberg Consulting, a healthcare information technology consulting firm in Bethel Park, PA.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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