How To Get Your Patients To Adopt The Patient Portal

An online patient portal is a boon for both medical professionals and also patients, given that it is loaded with benefits. Availability of healthcare information of a patient online makes it easier to review, analyze and offer treatment in the quickest possible ways. While a majority of their patients want to access their healthcare record online, only a mere 6 percent (according to Chilmark Research) actually accesses and uses patient portals. So if you already have a patient portal and want your patients to actually use it, you have to sell it to them. Assuming that they will adopt it just because you created it or them is simply wishful thinking.

Here is what you should do to get more patients adopt your patient portal.

Don't Sell It Like a Product - It is a Benefit

"Selling the patient" portal to your patients does not mean marketing it like you would any other product. A patient portal is a platform that is filled with benefits for both the patients and doctors. But when you talk to your patients about adopting it, tell them why they should adopt it and how they will benefit from adopting the portal. The way you promote, the way you talk about it and explain it to your patients, plays a very important role in determining whether or not they will adopt it.

Go Mobile, Go Digital

The smartphone revolution has changed the way people use mobile phones. We can say without any doubt that smartphones are "mini computers" that enable people to do more on the go. A smartphone gives you access to a multitude of useful information through apps. So why not give your patients easy access to their health records by creating a mobile app for your patient portal. With an app, you are more likely to get your patients adopt the patient portal.

Promote It Proactively

Don't wait for a patient to ask you about the portal. Be proactive and tell them about it when they visit your medical center. Make it a practice or a rule that they be proactively educated about it by the staff who attends to them. This will increase the chances of your patients adopting the patient portal.

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