How Patient Portals Help Pain Management Practices

Technology has made it easier and faster for us to stay connected to the people and information we value most, especially health information. When it comes to your pain management practice, communicating effectively with patients must be challenging. They also often want quick access to personal medical information and to share their needs. That is why patient portals were introduced.

A patient health portal isn’t the door to getting into your pain management practice. It is an electronic portal you can set up for patients with your Electronic Health Record (EHR) software. With the increasing use of smartphones, laptops, and tablets, medical portals are also gaining popularity and use due to their convenience. 

5 Useful Features of a Pain Management-Specific Portal

Pain management practices that do not have an online patient portal miss significant progress. Nearly 90% of U.S. healthcare systems and providers currently offer patients access to their EHR data online via health portals, mainly due to meaningful use incentives totaling over $30 billion.

Here are the five best pain management patient portal features that will improve your medical practice. 

1. Secure patient messaging system that improves patient-provider communication.

Pain management providers can use patient portals to encourage patients to be proactive about their health. 

Study shows that sharing patient data via electronic health records (EHR) and patient portals has improved medication compliance and patient satisfaction. These portals may benefit those suffering from chronic pains or long-term illnesses, as well. The American Medical Association also found that providing notes to patients improves safety and ensures more equitable care.

2. Full integration with EMR/PM systems that save time and money.

Patient portals help save time and money by automating basic administrative tasks. As a pain management provider, you know that your time is crucial and has limits. 

During the workday, you and your staff will always have a list of things to do. The good news is that you can trim your daily to-do lists with patient portals. 

Patient portals also allow patients to schedule appointments and communicate with providers. Furthermore, there is no need for staff to handle phone calls, manage appointments, or answer general inquiries. In this way, they can use their time in more valuable ways. Also, virtual visits may limit physical contact, but it doesn’t compromise the quality of care.

3. Online Bill Pay feature to receive payments quickly.

Integrating billing technology into your portal allows you to collect more patient balances. Patients receiving paper medical bills often find them confusing and discouraging. Studies show that patients prefer to pay their bills online rather than by check.

Patients can also view their entire bill online and pay it using their credit cards via integrated billing software in your patient portal. Payment of medical bills is convenient and accessible for patients 24/7 with credit card processing. Hence, your pain management practice receives full payments faster and more frequently.

4. Patient education resources and medical information input features that increase patient engagement.

An essential benefit of a patient portal is how it motivates and enhances patient engagement. Patients can easily view their lab results and send concerns to their primary care providers. This way, they can take a more active role in their medical care and treatment. They become active participants in their own health and well-being.

Moreover, patient portals provide access to a safe and secure messaging system that facilitates better communication. Patients can quickly contact their doctors when they do follow-ups on their health. Searching for doctor’s information and getting guidance online is quick and easy, resulting in a faster response time. In a recent study, patients who use patient portals reported increased satisfaction, greater communication, and more involvement in their care.

Check out our recent blog on How to Improve the Patient Experience Inside Your Clinic.

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5. Meaningful Use requirement features.

For patients to comply with Meaningful Use requirements, your pain management practice must enable patients to access parts of their health records directly and educate them about it. Health information should be viewable, downloadable, transmittable, and available through an API (application programming interface). Hence, a good patient portal can help practices meet these Meaningful Use requirements in the following ways:

• Electronic access to the Patient Health Information (PHI) on time
• Summary of clinical findings after office visits
• Information specific to each patient

Physicians are increasingly adopting patient portals in response to governmental incentives for meaningful use (MU). However, the stage 2 requirements for portal use may challenge newer electronic health records (EHRs) users.

5 Benefits of a Pain Management Patient Portal 

In pain management, providers must ensure that their patients receive safe, accurate, and quality care. However, the lack of proper tools and resources makes pain management physicians more susceptible to substance abuse and other dangerous situations. To minimize risks while protecting the integrity of their decision-making, they need an efficient pain management patient portal.

Patient portals are beneficial to pain management practices in five ways:

1. Collect All Patient Information in Advance

Data access is essential to improving patient engagement and empowering the medical system. 

With meaningful use mandating patient portal adoption, informing patients ahead of time about their health information would make compliance easier. In pain management practices, it is crucial to collect all necessary patient data, including their:

• Insurance Information
• Subjective Clinical Data (Medical History, Family History, Social History)
• Pain Questionnaires like the Oswestry, SOAP, COM, POP, and Ort.

The collection of these sets of information in an efficient manner also allows you to analyze customer behavior or experience. With a patient portal, your pain management practice can deliver pivotal analytics crucial to your success.

2. Allow E-signature to Sign Forms and Documents Easily

Patient portals should incorporate electronic signature technology to complete patient admissions forms. Through electronic signatures, providers can interact with patients through mobile devices, making information and consent gathering easier and faster.

Here are some workflow examples of how e-signatures can improve patient experience:

• The physician can electronically send the intake packet to a chosen email from within the EHR patient portal or let the patients complete the digital forms on an electronic tablet.
• If the patient is in a remote location, they receive an email notification to review and sign a form. Alternatively, the patient can sign directly on the tablet if they are present on-site.
• Patient portals in EHRs automatically upload intake packets with or without manual review.

3. Provide Patients Access to Their Health Data

Mostly, healthcare providers who offer clinical note access in online health portals see patients come to their appointments better prepared and with more meaningful questions about their care. An essential aspect of patient engagement is allowing patients to access their medical records. Moreover, a well-informed patient can make better healthcare decisions.

Research also shows that sharing clinician encounter notes with patients can increase trust and medication adherence, with only a few complications for medical practitioners.

4. Schedule Their Appointments With a Click

Most EHR vendors offer online patient portals for health systems to schedule appointments. Hence, these medical portals must include an integrated patient scheduling system, especially when getting one. 

They must also come with appointment reminders. Not only does this help remind patients of future appointments, but it also reminds past patients to schedule new appointments.

It may be easier for patients to remember their appointment times when they receive reminder texts containing visual messages. They can also reply to a text message confirming receipt of the reminder, reminding them of their appointment time. Technologies such as patient portals and online scheduling provide financial benefits that promote care continuity and lower the no-show rate by 4%.

5. Offer Telehealth Visits

If you run a pain management clinic, you should offer remote care using telemedicine. For example, you can provide telehealth virtual visits. You can still care for your patients without an in-person office visit. Rural residents who lack access to transportation will significantly benefit from this system.

As a doctor, you can even provide virtual care for various conditions, such as migraines, skin conditions, allergies, depression, and chronic pains. For the virtual visit, your patients only need an internet-connected smartphone, tablet, or computer. 

A recent study from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) conference says that telehealth can reduce no-show rates among surgical patients and make care more accessible. It eliminates scheduling constraints, allowing providers to see more patients – thus improving patient satisfaction.

Providing you with the Best

Patient portals completely transformed how physicians and patients interact outside of the office, the amount of information patients have access to, and the level of engagement they can have in their own healthcare. Your pain management practice can achieve better results by implementing a quality solution. Find out how a quality patient portal can benefit patients at your practice by clicking here.

Choose only the best for your pain management practice. 

At 1st Providers Choice, we understand our client’s needs and expectations for higher billing and EMR software performance. That’s why we only offer the top-tailored medical billing system and EHR with features that will allow your practice to operate at its optimum potential, save time, and double your revenue.

Call us at (480) 782-1116 for immediate assistance or schedule a free demo with our experts TODAY.