 | | Dr. Michael Geist |
PeaceHealth's patient portal, PatientConnection, serves a vital role in providing our patients with online features and access to health care and information. Patient portals have been around for more than a decade with widespread adoption; they have demonstrated that they are a valuable, indispensable part of modern health care.
PatientConnection-related meaningful use penalties
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has made the use of patient portals a key measure in the Meaningful Use programs for eligible providers. In 2015, providers are expected to have more than 5% of the patients they see in clinic also engage in online secure messaging with the clinic. (See full list of MU metrics.) Eligible providers who do not meet the secure messaging and other MU measures will soon be getting paid less for the care they provide Medicare patients.
Currently, only 17% of PeaceHealth patients with clinic visits in the last 90 days have active PatientConnection accounts. Evidence shows this number needs to be greater than 30% for eligible providers to have more than 5% of their patients engaged in secure messaging. Many PeaceHealth providers are already well-positioned to perform on this metric, but some providers and clinics have been slow to get their patients enrolled.
Patient signups are quick and easy
Staff or providers can do it during the check-in or rooming process. We have tips from PHMG providers and a handout that details in-clinic signups.
Workload impact concerns
Will secure messaging increase tasks for already overworked providers and staff?
The experience of providers from other organizations who have been doing secure messaging for years is that it is not a net increase in workload. Online messaging largely replaces telephone calls and is usually more efficient than phone calls and phone tag. Additionally, secure messaging is routed through clinic inbasket pools so the majority of messages are filtered and dealt with by staff in such a way that they may never even reach the provider. Patients receive clear instructions about appropriate use. There's a process in place for those rare cases when a patient won't follow the rules.
The vast majority of the current and soon-to-be-deployed features of PatientConnection do not involve any effort by providers and staff. In fact, many create clinical efficiencies that benefit staff and physicians. I invite you to read about these features that benefit clinics and providers.
Your leadership is critical
PatientConnection is a vital tool for patient care, and a key piece in the clinical practice redesign and operational improvements that will make our professional experience more satisfying and sustainable. Its success depends on our support to increase PatientConnection enrollment.
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 | | PeaceHealth Medical Group |  I want to extend a special thank you to all our providers and caregivers for your continued efforts and hard work. Read More > |  Dr. Bittner exemplifies the finest attributes of service to his patients and friendship with his colleagues Read More > |  PHMG's Dr. Chris Hammond addresses fears and facts about Enterovirus D68. Read More > |  PHMG's Dr. Allen Gabriel's pioneering technique of using Botox during reconstructive breast surgery has made the news again. Read More > |  PeaceHealth and health care news. Read More > |  Signed, sealed, delivered! The go-live dates are now set for the transition to Epic in our hospitals, laboratories, and shared services. Read More > | |
In response to recent changes to Washington State law regarding recreational marijuana use, we wanted to clarify with our caregivers that PeaceHealth follows federal law regarding the use of marijuana. Read More >
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