Pity Our Planned NEHRS Portal Does Zilch Of What People Want. We Don’t Even Have The Basics.

This popped up a week or so ago.

5 things I want my patient portal to do

August 20, 2012 | By Gienna Shaw

Even the most common functions of the average patient portal are pretty impressive. Patients can check test results, request prescription refills and make appointments without actually having to talk to a human being. It's not hard to see how those functions can improve patient satisfaction and make life a little easier--not only for patients but also for front-line staff.

The technology is not exactly commonplace--in one recent survey, only 30 percent of physicians said they use patient portals. But as the number of providers that do offer patient portals rises, so too will consumers' expectations of them. I've been using my provider's patient portal for at least a couple years now. And I'm getting a little bored--even frustrated--with what once seemed innovative.

Here are just five things I wish my provider's patient portal offered:

1. Short-term reminders: I'm terrible at following up on my doc's directions. At my last physical, my doctor said I had six months to get my cholesterol under control on my own or she'd put me on medication. That was 18 months ago. A post-visit checklist would surely be handy: Get this lab test, schedule an appointment with this specialist, refill this prescription, try these exercises and follow these food guidelines. I could go online and check them off as I complete them. Better yet, the system could send me a reminder if I haven't checked them off within a certain amount of time. And at my next visit my doc would be able to see my progress (or lack thereof) at a glance, perhaps making the short time we have together a little more productive.

2. Annual alerts:

.....

3. Alerts for my physician:

.....

4. Personalization:

......

5. Supplemental information:

.....

The full article is here:

http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/5-things-i-want-my-patient-portal-do/2012-08-20

We have not got the basic list covered - what about the even more useful stuff. I wonder is there one DoHA or NEHTA person who is planning how to do all this in the future. Would be good to know such planning is actually happening.

David.