Patient Portals: Do they work for your patients?

To say that Covid19 changed the world is an understatement. Certainly in the US we have been growing and attempting to fix (with meager results) a very complicated system. Well we all remember a decade or so ago when the patient portal and electronic health records were the newest and greatest thing. They were going to streamline the paperwork process, connect providers, improve patient experiences, save money...the list goes on.

I don't know about you but as a patient, I love the idea of emailing the office instead of waiting on hold. I used to get a timely reply, usually from my MD but also from staff, often same day or next day. I am in Southern Maine, a densely populated area of mostly rural Maine. New England is known to have top notch healthcare so it is surprising that lately, I get no response. I have moved to a less populated area but the corporate system is the same.

Well, I recently got wind that there are places in other states where the doctors are told not to answer emails because it takes up too much time. I am disappointed and feel that this is a symptom of a system that is administratively heavy. The medical staff are stretched thin, insurance companies are looking at profits, but where do patients get answers.

We must make changes that benefit patient outcomes. Rant over.