The Patient Portal and Your Practice

A recent editorial article from Fierce Health IT notes the potential ways a patient can interact with a portal:

 "Among the benefits are the ability of patients to do the following online: request refills; make appointments; view lab results; receive reminders about needed preventive and chronic care; ask their doctor a question; fill out a medical history or a family and social history; view statements; and pay bills.

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A patient portal is more than a self-service option for patients. It is a secure and permanent platform for patient-to-provider communication. This increases the transparency of the healthcare relationship as well as limits the potential for communication breakdown. For this reason alone, the patient portal is a must have for every practice.

Is Healthcare Ready For Social Media?

A recent Capstrat-Public Policy Polling survey revealed that 84% of respondents would not use social media or instant messaging channels to communicate with their doctor. The survey was completed by 843 registered voters. Additionally, the results show that patients are more willing to complete healthcare related administrative tasks online. This trend has been increasing, along with the number of doctors offering patient portals to complete such tasks.


The boundary between social media interaction and personal privacy is increasingly difficult to identify. This is a large reason for the hesitance in social media adoption by both patients and doctors. Additionally, many doctors are unsure of the legal consequences involved with online interaction. The current framework of social networks is not designed to support the healthcare industry. A social media experience in healthcare requires a dynamic platform designed around compliance and security while at the same time allowing interaction with a wide range of providers, including physicians, hospitals, labs, insurance pharmacies and government agencies.