Patients Still Unclear On Benefits Of Portals: Study

A study supported by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found that patients are embracing the concept of patient portals but the awareness among patients about the benefits of portals is rather low. There has been a rise in the usage of portals by patients to access and manage their health records but they are still unknown whether the portals actually improve outcomes, increase patient satisfaction or create efficiencies. The findings were published in a new research by the Annals of Internal Medicine. [twitter.com/HealthITplus]

The researchers reviewed 46 different patient portals connected to EHRs. The results from the portals were not as commendable as they had expected. The evidences were mixed as to whether the tools improved outcomes and satisfaction. The researchers also found that the effect on utilization and efficiencies of portals also was “unclear” to patients. Any benefits associated with portal use may actually be attributable to increased case management, the authors said.

Role Of Social Media In Healthcare [Infographic]

A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) – Social media “likes” healthcare – reveals that half of the health industry executives are focusing on ways to harness the power of social media into measurable business outcomes. Due to the Affordable Care Act, many providers have made the shifted toward scalability in the healthcare industry.

According to the survey, one of the major concerns among C-suite health executives was to find innovative ways to integrate social media and to use it to deliver better care and enhance patient engagement while complying to new provisions in the Affordable Care Act, such as Medicare’s Value Based Purchasing and accountable care.

The following were few key findings from the survey: [twitter.com/HealthITplus]

Hospital Initiatives To Improve the Patient Experience [Infographic]

A new report, The State of Patient Experience, released by the Beryl Institute reveals the complex reality facing the patient experience movement. The report also finds that there has been a positive trend and rise in efforts in terms of defining and supporting patient experience. But many healthcare leaders are not very optimistic about the impact of such efforts. As of today, only 22% of hospitals in U.S. have a Chief Experience Officer. [twitter.com/HealthITplus]

The key findings of the report include:

C-level executives are happy with the progress in improving the overall Patient Experience and Quality of Care. But their anticipation and efforts have declined from in comparison to previous years.

Patients Still Not Fully Informed About EHRs

Survey reveals only 32 percent even want their health records to go digital.

A recent poll has shown that over two-third of the patients have complained that their providers have not adequately informed them about electronic health records. The survey also clearly shows that majority of Americans are also concerned about the security of their health records.

The survey, conducted by Xerox suggests that providers should focus on educating their patients about the benefits and various implications of digitized health records instead of just stressing on adopting EHRs and collecting federal incentive payments.

The survey included more than 2000 U.S. adults and found that just over 29 percent of them were informed by their providers that their medical records were going to be digitized. Despite a rise than the previous years, the survey still shows that most Americans (83 percent) have big concerns about EHRs – largely centered on privacy and security.

Raising Awareness about Digitization of Medical Records

The healthcare industry has witnessed tremendous adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHR) amongst healthcare providers after the implementation of HITECH Act four years ago. However, the acceptance of EHRs amongst patients has been sparse, with only 32% patients interested in getting their medical records digitized at all, as per a recent survey by Xerox.

The EHR survey, with a sample size of more than 2,000 adults, found that physicians have not communicated the shift to digital records adequately, according to more than two-third of the patients and approximately 83%have serious privacy concerns regarding the safety of their medical records. The poll also established that merely 29% patients have been informed that their medical records would be digitized. [twitter.com/HealthITplus]