Physicians are bearing more financial responsibility in terms of patient outcomes and thus should take measures to ensure patients are making healthy lifestyle choices. A recent study by athenahealth analyzed ways patients and physician practices use technology to communicate, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Here are five findings:
1. Many providers falsely believe older patients do not utilize technology. The study found older patients sign into their portals substantially more often than their younger patients to check their health records, refill prescriptions and contact providers.
2. Specialties such as orthopedics benefit from portals as they allow practices to reduce their staff and increase adherence to perioperative protocols.
3. Practices will increase their adoption rates by patients if they automatically register their patients rather than asking patients to register for the portal on their own.
4. Disadvantaged patients may face barriers in accessing technology and therefore cannot utilize the portals at the same rate as wealthier patients. However, some practices have achieved high adoption rates despite different patient demographics.
5. The study found practice size to have no effect of adoption rates.
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