Importance Of Providing Patient Access To EHR Data

Patient access to their electronic health records (EHR) is now becoming an integral part of healthcare organizations across the world. It has the potential to decrease healthcare provision costs, improve access to healthcare data, self-care, quality of care, and patient-centered outcomes.

Why is it important to allow patients to access their medical data?

Now, those days are gone when you had to wait for a call to get your test results, or you had to visit the health care setting several times to get basics details. Now you could simply log in to your patient portal and check your data.

Engaging patients in their case is an important goal for improving the Health care system. According to the National Healthcare Quality Report of AHRQ in 2008, some Healthcare Outcomes Policy Priorities are:

• To improve condition, adaptability, safety, and lower the health inequality.
• Involving patients and their families in their medical records.
• Boost care coordination.
• Upgrade public and population health.
• Make sure requisite privacy and security protection is in place for personal health information.

Undoubtedly, engaging patients in their healthcare is meaningful for physicians. At the minimum patient should have:

• Regular access to their health record.
• E-copy of their record on demand.
• Clinical summary for every visit.

RELATED: How To Do EHR Implementation In The Right Way?

How patients can access their health records?

Let’s see how patients can be engaged in their cases. Well, there are several ways by which patients can view their data but the patient portal is mostly used. Patient portals have become increasingly popular in the health care industry, with patients actively using them.

These portals are a hub for all things patients need and help them to stay engaged with their physicians. Patient portals achieve this by providing patients access to their data. Patients can have a look at their lab results, prescriptions, health history, and discharge summary.

Benefits of allowing the patient to access their EHR data

Patient Engagement

One of the major advantages of allowing patients access to their data is that it encourages patient engagement and patients take ownership of their case. Engaged patients are more loyal and likely to stay with your practice for a longer time as they feel more connected to your healthcare setting. Patients will be happier since they can access their health information using any device and from anywhere.

• Safer and Reliable Prescriptions
• Patient access enables safer, more reliable prescribing.

Reduction of your Workload

Now patients can receive and send messages, get their appointment fixed, can get their all questions answered fast through a portal. The patient can access their data whenever they want from any part of the world through their smart devices. According to patients, checking their portal made it simple for them to fix appointments, and follow up on time.

One of the main problems of visiting healthcare is filling out the forms. By allowing access to the system, patients will be able to enter their data securely rather than filling forms before meeting the doctor. This will also save patients time as they don’t have to fill out the same medical history form every time they visit the doctor. After using a patient portal to access information, the number of unnecessary visits and no-shows can be reduced.

RELATED: Here Is How EHR Can Improve Patient Care In 2021

Better Outcomes

Patient access to their health data was found to improve self-reported levels of engagement and enhanced knowledge. Patients can go online and view documentation; it will be easier to spot any errors to avoid inaccuracies. Thus helping you make better clinical decisions by integrating information from multiple sources.

Summary

There are a lot of benefits of direct patient access to their medical records. A trend towards full participation of patients in their health outcomes is emerging. We live in a digital era, so allowing patients to their data through EHR will surely help you.

Adopting the best EHR software platform isn’t just about maintaining compliance with meaningful use, or even about ensuring the best delivery of care to your patients. It’s also about optimizing a practice’s ability to make smart business decisions based on patient data. The impact of this kind of business intelligence is critical to growing the practice and maximizing the bottom line.

Vozo EHR software can offer your practice a smooth transition into a quality EHR and guide you right from the start to implementing electronic health records in your hospitals.