The Ultimate Guide to Patient Engagement and Patient Portal App Development

A patient portal solution can be defined as a web-based or mobile application that offers patients 24/7 access to their medical records, medical history, billing, and personal profiles. In practice management, custom portals for a clinic provide patients timely access to their health informatics. A patient portal app allows patients to retrieve lab results, solve queries, ask questions, update profiles, and insert insurance details. Some patient portal app solutions enable appointment scheduling and medical billing through the portals. A patient portal software can build a secure connection to patient data that providers can easily exchange data. An online patient portal in healthcare helps the hospitals, clinics, and other providers actively involve patients in their treatment.   

Key benefits of patient portals  

1. Better patient care and satisfaction  

Long waiting times or difficulty reaching the front desk of healthcare centers can be frustrating for patients. With patient portal app development, this concern is addressed. All the work can be done online instantly and effortlessly using HIPAA-compliant patient portal software. From managing appointment schedules to getting medical refills, arranging telehealth sessions, and looking for new healthcare specialists, patient portal development simplifies them all. Patient portals govern population health management with ease.  

2. Enhance patient-provider communication  

Patient portal for healthcare can reduce unnecessary patient visits to the clinic and opt for virtual care instead. Patients can consult with healthcare providers directly through the medical patient portal app. For example, patients do not need to visit physicians to change medication doses personally. They can consult the physician online through a patient portal, mobile app by booking appointments. The interoperability offered by patient portals makes this simplified communication possible.  

3. Increase performance efficiency  

Online patient portal development can increase the performance efficiency of your clinic, even for integrated care, because it simplifies communication between patients and providers. Signing up new patients and filling up their details becomes much easier with a patient engagement portal. Patient portal app development can reduce errors and inconsistencies in inpatient data. It saves time and improves the efficacy of your healthcare services.   

4. Reduce medical errors  

Patient portal app development automates patient data management and other administrative tasks. As a result, the manual work is minimized, and there is less scope for errors. This improves the efficiency of medical billing and payment processing.  

5. Patient-centric care  

Patient portal companies emphasize patient-focused care. Healthcare organizations can manage patients and their data smoothly through healthcare portal development. Patient portals offer patients 24/7 support and communication with healthcare providers. Healthcare providers can easily exchange electronic records and offer quality collaborative care. They no longer have to wait for lab results and can easily access them via online patient portal app development.  

How can patient portal app development boost patient engagement?  

Patient engagement portals store patient data that patients and providers can easily access. They educate patients and prepare them for future care encounters. Patients can access their health data, stay informed about health conditions, and communicate with providers regarding wellness measures. Providers can keep track of patients’ health conditions through data visualization and healthcare analytics and by chatting with them directly through the patient portal in healthcare.   

Patient portal app development enables providers to meet patients halfway and gives them adequate resources to support their health. Engaging patients and motivating them towards their care routine can improve their health outcomes and increase patient satisfaction. Patient portal apps enhance patient engagement by enabling patients to access their electronic health records and supporting secure patient-provider communication.  

Why patient portals may fail to engage patients   

1. Restricted functionality  

The patient portal in healthcare has several advantages, but not many patients are aware of it. Patients may assume there is nothing in portals that can help them. You can address this issue by raising awareness and educating patients about the pros of using patient portal software.  

2. Poor usability  

The interface of a patient portal must offer usability. If patients cannot complete simple tasks using the portal, they may not be motivated to use it.  

3. Lack of training  

To make sure that your patients can make most of the patient engagement portals in your healthcare software, you need to help them navigate it. People who are not familiar with technology may struggle or feel discouraged to use it.  

Features to be included in a patient portal app  

1. Online patient registration  

Cloud-based patient onboarding is a crucial feature of custom patient portal development. Patient portals must support an easy sign-in registration process. Patient portal software companies must offer smooth online registration. Patient portal app development must consider convenience while designing the platform.   

2. Appointment scheduling  

A patient portal development company can allow people to schedule appointments with their physicians online. Patients can view the availability of a specific physician and book an appointment instantly. Once a time slot is chosen through a patient portal app, patients receive a confirmation via email or SMS.  

3. Chats and Chatbots  

Patients can receive personalized help or consultation using patient portal software via protected chat. This can be implemented by a live chat feature or chatbot empowered patient portal that can answer questions till a physician can personally attend. Chat and chatbots function as channels that allow patients to obtain a quick consultation with their physician or nurses through patient portal and nurses engagement.  

4. Personalized Patient Data management  

Online patient portal app development must provide access to well-protected personalized patient data. This feature makes it easier for providers to access specific patient information or documents, such as particular lab results or test reports. A particular configuration of data management will vary with the type and features of the patient portal app.  

5. Secure online payments  

One of the most important patient portal engagement strategies is making payments online and viewing payment history. Online payment processing is convenient for patients and providers, and it also serves useful while implementing telehealth and mHealth. Patient portal app development can be integrated with a third-party payment gateway provider.   

6. Personal Profiles  

A patient portal solution needs a system to manage personal patient profiles that allow access rights and data protection. Every personal patient profile must be readily accessible to patients. Additionally, they should be available for data management, including editing and updating personal information.  

7. Patient Education  

Patient portal app development can serve as a source of providing healthcare news, updates, and education to patients through healthcare automation. Patient portals can consist of health-related recommendations, videos, or articles to enhance the knowledge and awareness of patients. These can encourage patients to be more health-conscious and active in their well-being routine.  

Conclusion  

Patient portal apps enable to bring healthcare providers closer to their patients through enhanced communication and improved availability. OSP can help you create a patient portal for healthcare with features that would work best for you. Our team of technical experts can create a custom patient portal that is HIPAA-compliant and would support the secure exchange of patient data.