Patient Portals 2024: Latest Trends, Features, and Benefits

Healthcare industries have to adopt advanced technologies to provide better care for patients. 

One such technology that helped the healthcare industry directly approach patients to provide better care in convenience is the patient portals.

The patient portal is a tool that is designed to bridge the gap between healthcare providers and patients more conveniently.

This blog post will walk you through the latest trends, features, and benefits of the Patient Portals.

This technology continues to be adopted to meet the growing demands from the enhanced user interface to advanced security measures, for both healthcare providers and patients.

What are Patient Portals?

Patient portal is an online platform that allows patients to have access to their health information and health records at their convenience.

It’s a secure platform where patients can log in to check pieces of information like medical records, lab test results, overviewing the Billing, Medication management, scheduling appointments with healthcare providers, etc…

Patient portals help healthcare providers and patients stay connected for better patient outcomes and healthcare journeys.

Patients can also connect with healthcare providers via chat or video call for instant health check-ups and health consultations.

Benefits of Patient Portals

The Implementation of the Patient Portals in the Healthcare industry has impacted and benefits both patients and healthcare providers in many ways.

Firstly, let’s see how patient portals benefit the healthcare providers.

Benefits of Patient Portals for Healthcare Providers

Patient portals have benefited healthcare providers in many ways such as;

• Improves communication with patients: Healthcare providers find it easier to communicate with patients via patient portals by avoiding the need for in-person visits. Patients can ask for health consultation and advice through patient portals via chat or video call in real-time.
• Simplified Administrative Tasks: Traditional paper is time-consuming, but patient portals allow healthcare providers to automate administrative tasks like filling out forms, insurance dealing, document submission, and tracking bills leading to saving more time and focus more on better patient outcomes.
• Quick access to patient information: Healthcare providers can quickly access patients’ medical records, information, test results, and personalized treatment plans. It helps in quicker decision-making based on the up-to-date medical information of the patients.

Benefits of Patient Portals for Patients

Here are the benefits of patient portals for patients;

• Access to Medical Records: Patients can have access to up-to-date medical records from lab results to medication lists at their convenience. Moreover, patients can have access to their medical records 24/7, avoiding the need to travel every day to receive the medical records.
• Appointment Scheduling: With the help of patient portals, patients can instantly schedule appointments with data, slots, and reasons to visit their healthcare providers, avoiding the need to wait at the hospitals.
• Education: Patient portals have health education-related articles, videos, and other related resources to educate patients about health awareness. Patients can easily learn about their medical conditions, treatments, and precautionary measures for wellness.

And are other ways that the Patient portal benefits patients to take control of their healthy lives and wellness.

Top Features of Patient Portals

So now you have an overview of what are patient portals and how they benefit both healthcare providers and patients.

Now, what are all the features it offers?

There is a vast range of features patient portals offer such as Appointment scheduling and reminders, patient health records access, meds prescription refilling, telemedicine, billing, and payment, etc…

Appointment Scheduling and Reminders

There are times when a person needs to visit the hospital just to get an appointment with healthcare professionals. 

Patient portals offer an appointment scheduling feature that allows patients to schedule appointments with healthcare professionals at the convenience of their homes in no time.

• Patients can log in to their accounts.
• View the healthcare professionals’ availability.
• Select the available and convenient time, data, and slot

For the doctor’s visits. This feature enables us to avoid phone calls, direct visits to schedule interviews, etc…

Also, it’ll send automated reminders the day before the scheduled appointment to the patient as well as the healthcare professionals.

Patient Health Record Access

Getting up-to-date medical information for patients is daunting. 

Patients have to spend time traveling to the health care practice and wait until receive the health records.

With the help of patient portals, patients and healthcare providers can;

• View the up-to-date medical records of the patients.
• Can get instant access to lab results.
• Meds prescription history for refill

This convenience saves more time for patients and healthcare providers.

Med Prescription Refill

The traditional medication prescription refill requires patients to go to healthcare professionals for any update on medication.

Also required to travel to the pharmacy for a medication refill. With the help of the patient portal, the process will be simplified. Now, Patients can;

• Log into the patient portal account.
• Select the medication that needs to be refilled.
• And submit the request to the healthcare providers.

This feature ensures reducing the hassle of calling healthcare providers for medication updates and refills or visiting in person.

Telemedicine

One of the key features of the patient portal is Telemedicine. 

Traditional methods of health consultation involve in-person visits.

With the help of telemedicine, patients can consult health care providers remotely via video call.

This feature enables patients and healthcare providers to;

• Schedule Appointments for Virtual Health Consultation.
• Securely Communicate with the Healthcare Providers
• Share medical-related information for instance any symptoms.

In this way, healthcare practice is made more accessible and convenient for patients who aren’t able to visit hospitals in person.

Related: Telehealth Tactics: Integrating Virtual Visits Functions into Patient Portals for Specialized Practices

Billing and Payment

Another valuable feature of the patient portal is the Billing and payment.

Patient portals simplify the process of billing for healthcare providers. The patients can wait and pay their medical bills online, avoiding the need for direct visits.

This feature not only allows billing and payment more convenient but also ensures transparency. With the help of billing and payment, patients can;

• Review the medical cost of the treatments and medication.
• Patients can pay their medical bills in various payment methods.

The patient portal allows patients to manage their medical expenses efficiently.

Latest Trends in Patient Portals 2024

While it offers various benefits and features, patient portals continue to evolve for better healthcare. Here are the latest trends in Patient Portals;

• Artificial Intelligence: AI-powered patient portals have evolved for data-driven personalized care for patients. How it works? The AI will analyze the patient’s data, and based on the patient’s care, the AI will provide personalized recommendations that cater to the patient. It’ll help to increase the patient’s interaction with the healthcare.
• IoT connectivity to Remote Monitoring: A patient portal is on the way to leverage the Internet of Things for remote patient monitoring. The patient portals will integrate with IoT devices like defibrillators, nebulizers, oxygen pumps, and other monitoring equipment to monitor the patient’s health remotely.
• Automation: Patient portal management has helped healthcare providers and patients automate most of the processes such as appointment scheduling, prescription fills, and administrative tasks. This allows healthcare professionals to reduce their workload and helps to spend more time on patient care.
• Interoperability: For a better healthcare ecosystem, interoperability is crucial. Integrating patient portals with EHR systems and other healthcare software allows seamless communication and data exchange between healthcare providers, ultimately leading to better patient care and outcomes.
• AR for Educating Patients: Patient portals adopt the AR for educating patients about their specific health conditions like treatment plans, procedures, explanations about the specific health condition, etc… for awareness purposes
• Blockchain: There is the possibility of Blockchain in Patient portals which helps to solve the problem in health data. Blockchain is also used to securely and transparently manage patients’ medical records.

Related: The Spectacular 2023 Integration: Patient Portal with AI & Virtual Healthcare

Vozo – The All-in-one Simplified Patient Portal Solution

Vozo’s is your all-in-one simplified patient portal solution with advanced features such as one-on-one messaging, easy appointment scheduling, e-prescribing, and instant access to lab records, and medical information.

Your Problems with Patient Portals

• Implementing Interoperability and Module Integration
• Lack of a better support system
• Couldn’t able to afford it?
• Shifting to the Vozo Patient Portal
• Customization portal for specialty healthcare
• Security Concerns and privacy issues

Vozo’s Exceptional Solution

• Our cost-effective subscription plan helps healthcare practices at all levels.
• 24/7 availability to support you with your needs and requirements.
• Our professional experts will help to seamlessly switch to our Vozo.
• Vozo’s Patient Portal respects users’ privacy and safeguards health-related records.
• By understanding your unique needs for your specialty healthcare practice, we will customize Vozo’s patient portal for a seamless workflow.
• The Vozo patient portal can effortlessly be integrated and implemented with any EHR system to increase productivity.

Experience the Simplified Patient Portal for Better Healthcare Practice. Get in touch with us.