Patient Portal – Do More With Less
It is hard to believe that eCW Podcast has produced almost an entire first season. For this episode, host Adam Siladi talks with Dr. Mark McNeill of Trillium Family Medicine about how utilizing the Patient Portal has improved his practice by reducing tedious tasks, while helping him see more patients. Filmed at the 2014 eClinicalWorks National Users Conference, Dr. McNeill mentions how his patients take advantage of the convenience of booking appointments online. He explains how he primarily runs the entire practice’s workflow through the portal by sending messages, booking appointments, viewing lab results and sending both general and appointment reminders. The system also assists Dr. McNeill during patient visits, with reminders notifying him of questions he must ask his patients.
Dr. McNeill also digs into how he educates his patients about the portal and encourages them to use it to their full ability. He explains – with new patients – he essentially sells the concept to them in order for patients to become intrigued by the product.
With an impressive 80% of patients active on the portal, the practice has 70% of all appointments scheduled by patients online from this tool. Also, prior to each visit patients are required to complete a web-visit questionnaire, so providers are more prepared ahead of the visit.
Keep an eye out for the remaining episodes from Season 1. Beginning in late spring, Season 2 will be introduced with a variety of updates all geared toward our customers. Overall, eCW Podcasts are generating a good amount of buzz. Make sure to catch up on previous shows, as each episode is available on my.eclinicalworks.com, our YouTube page and on iTunes.
