How to promote your patient portal: 7 tips

About 51% of individuals were offered access to online medical records in 2018, roughly the same as the previous year, a report from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) showed. In 2018, only about three in 10 individuals were offered access and viewed their record at least once in the past year.

In the era of value-based care, improving patient engagement can affect a practice’s bottom line. So how can providers get patients to become more active participants in their own care?

Seven tips on how to promote your patient portal

1. Provide informational handouts at the front desk and in the waiting area that patients can read while they wait for appointments.
2. Place a computer kiosk or tablet in the waiting area that allows patients to register for the portal and then use it to complete necessary registration forms.
3. Send postcards to patients, introducing your portal and encouraging them to use it to request their next appointment or medication refill.
4. Add a tag line to appointment cards, statements, newsletters, and other communication. An example: “Tired of playing phone tag? Sign up for the patient portal.”
5. Change your practice’s on-hold messaging to include information introducing the patient portal.
6. Display a link to the patient portal on your practice’s website and in the office.
7. Make the portal your practice’s preferred way of sending information to patients. To drive home the message, tell patients the portal it is the preferred method of communication.

Improving the patient experience

Escalating healthcare costs have made your patients more savvy consumers. They shop around and use personal referrals and online reviews to guide their decisions.

“As long as our patients are happy, that’s the most effective way to spread the word in town,” said Bethany Suggs, Director of Patient Access and Information Systems with Family Medical Associates of Raleigh. “And the portal plays a very important part in patient satisfaction and inspiring good reviews and referrals.”

“The portal plays a very important part in patient satisfaction and inspiring good reviews and referrals.”

Bethany Suggs, Director of Patient Access and Information Systems, Family Medical Associates of Raleigh

Patient satisfaction has increased significantly since Bethany’s practice implemented the portal. Patients want their voice heard, and they don’t want to wait on hold. At the same time, your staff needs time to respond thoughtfully and to address each patient’s needs.

A portal makes it that much easier to go the extra mile for your patients … without adding a lot to your workload, Bethany said.

Consider how much of an impact your patient portal can have on your patient’s life. With the right portal, your patients can:

• Schedule appointments
• Ask clinical and billing question
• Request prescription refills
• Stay up to date on payments
• View lab results
• Access links to additional information

Using these features and services, you can share your practice’s patient-centric mission and goals. You can show a reduction in patient wait times, communicating is fast and easy, and patients get their questions answered in a timely, thoughtful manner every time.

“These kinds of things are really what patients are going to remember and talk to their friends about,” Bethany said. “They aren’t going to talk about their A1C poor control being less than 15%. They’re not even going to know that. But they do know that they only waited 10 minutes and that when they had a follow-up question, the doctor got back to them in three hours.”

Patient messaging: an added benefit

While the patient portal gives your patients the power to schedule appointments and message you with questions and requests, Greenway Health’s Patient Messaging gives you an even more proactive tool to promote your practice.

With Patient Messaging, you can send your patients secure messages about:

• Practice closures for holidays or inclement weather
• Birthday and holiday greetings
• Special offers and promotions
• Seasonal reminders

Should your patients have questions or concerns about a message you send them, they can respond immediately and get the timely answers they want and need. When your practice can deliver on the things that matter most to patients — the convenience of a portal and prompt, thoughtful care — you’ll have a strong narrative to market your practice.