Attaining a Competitive Edge through Patient Portals

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1 A Saviance Technologies Whitepaper Attaining a Competitive Edge through Patient Portals The Healthcare industry in the US is evolving at a break-neck pace. Most of the hospitals and healthcare systems across US are seeking technological innovations to offer quality services and a better interactive system in order to gain a competitive edge. Hospitals and other healthcare units have already had internet presence for a while where all the necessary details can be found but still patients need more. Today, there is an increasing and pressing need for online platforms that provide a user friendly interface where patients can interact with their physicians or doctors for more information. Considering these facts, a new concept of patient portals has emerged and is fast becoming indispensable for providers, payers, pharmaceuticals and life sciences alike. The terms EMR (Electronic Medical Records) and EHR (Electronic Health records) are gaining momentum in healthcare industry across US. It s the right time for hospitals and other healthcare providers to take strategic initiatives to exceed the expectations of their patients. What is a Patient Portal? Patient Portal is an online platform where the patients and the physicians can view patient s medical records and history, lab reports, medication list and drug allergies and can interact with each other. It is a more secure way of making payments, prescription renewal, pre-registration services, physician referral and moreover a direct interactive channel for queries and advice from the doctors. Patients even can post updates about their medical status and experience for review by family members and friends.

2 Significance of a Patient Portal A well-structured and well-executed Patient Portal benefits both patients and health care providers by increasing efficiency and productivity. Patient Portal is an effective medium of getting a direct feedback from the patients for the care and services provided by the hospitals or health care units. Patients can talk about their experiences with their doctors, nurses and other staff members and of course the quality of healthcare services. This helps physicians to get a referral loyalty from their patients. A Patient Portal also allows the practitioners to view their patients medical history immediately in case of an emergency or if a patient is in the state of unconsciousness or unable to remember his medical details. This saves considerable time and aids in saving the life of the patient who is brought to the healthcare facility in a critical state. Moreover, a Patient Portal is of great use for the patients who live in remote or far flung areas. They can easily interact with their physician through this. It helps in terms of saving money and time at the same time especially for minor medical complaints. These E-visits cost half the rate of an in-person visit to the clinic. Because of these low costs, the payers are more interested in reimbursing online consultations. EMR and EHR These are the two Health IT buzzwords which often confuse people. Though the terms are used interchangeably, the difference between them can be defined. EMR Electronic Medical Record is the electronic record of health-related information of a person that is created and managed by licensed clinicians or a healthcare provider s office or clinic. The information in EMR contains only a single diagnosis or treatment from a specialist. It is more like a digital version of a paper chart in a clinician s office and cannot be accessed out of the office. It can be either printed out or ed to other specialists or the members of the healthcare team.

3 EHR Electronic Health Record is the aggregate electronic record of health-related information that contains cumulative multiple records of more than one healthcare organization and is managed and consulted by licensed clinicians and other healthcare providers. The information in EHR can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Patient Portal - a value add to the organization Improve patient access Improve practice operations Enhance communication between patient and clinician Improve the quality of patient management & care Secure access of data Connect with referring and consulting physicians Boost revenue significantly Manage the administrative aspects of patients with high deductible health plans Reduce registration related insurance denials Meet federal criteria for meaningful use of an EHR Saviance: Instrumental in providing IT solutions in healthcare industry Healthcare is a strategic industry sector for Saviance and it has been developing expertise in this arena through innovative and technologically advanced solutions at its Global Development Centers. Working in areas such as Enterprise Mobility, Business Analytics and SharePoint, they provide innovative solutions and enable meaningful use of IT by designing patient care and community portals, collaboration applications, big data insights for wellness and population health, ICD-10 resources and process automation. They also possess expertise in User Experience Design for the Healthcare sector. Saviance has enabled their healthcare clients meet many emerging IT challenges in this era of healthcare transformation. By providing cost-effective healthcare IT solutions built on a secure model for

4 integrating disparate healthcare systems, Saviance has changed the nature and speed of interaction between providers, payers, physicians, patients, healthcare organizations and other stakeholders. Saviance has a firm footprint in addressing the unique challenges of the US healthcare industry. They are a Gold Category Corporate Member with Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and an active member of mhealth Alliance. They are also a Microsoft Partner with a MS Silver Competency, and APN Consulting and Technology Partner by Amazon Web Services. Conclusion IT already has a pivotal role in the way healthcare organizations will function effectively in the coming years. Whether it is about providing quality services to patients in a cost effective manner or providing other online services like, E-visits, E-payment etc., information technology is already doing a commendable job in the healthcare industry. With technological innovations, healthcare service offerings have become more advanced in nature and manageable and new opportunities are being created to aid faster and better results. Healthcare providers are also applying IT solutions for better delivery of services. But as IT is playing a bigger role in the delivery of services, healthcare providers will have to understand the need to invest more resources into this sector, whether establishing an in-house IT setup or outsourcing strategy. Healthcare service providers will need to develop a clear technology strategy and make the necessary investments for IT services if they want to move ahead with better healthcare initiatives in the future. ************ About Saviance Technologies Saviance Technologies is a global provider of Enterprise Technology Solutions for the US Healthcare Sector focusing on the latest technology SMAC stack (Social, Mobility, Analytics and Cloud). Incorporated in 1999 in the US, with over 14 years of excellent industry track record, we have delivered successful projects involving the IT enablement of Healthcare Services to millions of Americans. Our clients are leading payers, providers, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and others in the American Care Giver ecosystem in areas of Collaboration (Microsoft SharePoint), Analytics (Microsoft SSRS/SSIS) and Enterprise Mobility across all the major mobile platform operating systems. The Saviance Center of

5 Excellence is a hub of technical activity where our experts work on and improvise on the latest in cutting edge technology. Saviance is a certified Minority Business Enterprise and is recognized by the New York and New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council (NJ&NYMSDC) as well as by Houston MSDC and Georgia MSDC. We are a Gold Category Corporate Member with Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and also a member of mhealth Alliance. We have been awarded by INC 5000 as one of the fastest growing private companies in North America. Saviance has also been ranked among the Fast 50 Asian American Businesses in the United States by USPAACC (US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce) and selected as a 2013 "Top Business" recipient by DiversityBusiness.com. We have also been awarded by Deloitte s Technology Fast 50 India 2013 and recently been listed as a Red Herring 100 Asia 2013 Winner. With a wide geographical diversity spanning across the USA, Europe, India, Singapore and Australia, Saviance is able to serve and support its clients in multiple geographies. To learn more, please visit: