Many patients remain in dark on patient portals

Nearly 40 percent of patients are unsure if their primary care physician utilizes a patient portal system.

Nashville-based consulting firm Technology Advice announced the findings and said they are significant as more practices seek to achieve Meaningful Use Stage 2, which requires that at least five percent of their patients use such a site.

The firm surveyed 430 patients—all who had seen their primary care physician within the past year. They found that:

• More than half of patients report that their physicians did not follow  up with them after their appointment. Of those that did, only 9.1 percent did so through a patient portal.
• Patients report that their preference for appointment setting is via telephone, however patients ages 18-24 said they would rather use an online calendar.
• 42.7 percent of patients prefer to receive test results over the phone. Only 18.1 percent prefer email and 14.1 percent prefer online messages.

“These findings suggest that many physicians do not have adequate programs in place to introduce patients to such online resources, and are not engaging their patients post-appointment. By investing more resources and time into such initiatives, physicians will likely be able to raise their patient portal engagement rates, meet Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements, and cultivate greater acceptance of online portals in their patient populations,” concluded the study authors.

Access the survey here.