The healthcare space has some of the most unique technology needs of any industry. It’s a space where innovation is embraced, allowing for the new breakthroughs that often take place within the bounds of strict regulations such as HIPAA. This can make for some significant challenges when delving into a Digital Transformation project like the development of a patient portal.
But few Digital Transformation projects can bring about the tremendous ROI and benefit to patient experience that you tend to see with the addition of a patient portal. Yes, HIPAA does create some challenges to the patient portal development process But if you work with an experienced Digital Transformation company and perform careful planning during the discovery phase and have a firm understanding of the users’ needs and HIPAA requirements, then your organization can expect to walk away with a patient portal that exceeds all expectations
What’s in a Patient Portal?
Relatively few Digital Transformation companies develop patient portals due to the many HIPAA guidelines that must be considered. At the most basic level, a patient portal is a web app or mobile app (or both) where the medical practice posts information, images, test results, appointments, files and other data to patients.
Patient portal development is guided by the needs of a hospital or clinic and the needs of the patients and their family members or caretakers. These portals can be a wonderful source of information that dramatically improves the standard of care.
Each patient portal is a bit different, varying according to the unique needs that are in play. Here is a look at some of the features and functionalities that are commonly found in these web-based portals and patient portal mobile apps.
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- Upcoming appointment cards
- Appointment reminders and push notifications
- Appointment check-in or cancellation feature
- Prescription refill request tool
- Summaries and physician notes for past appointments
- Diagnostic images such as x-rays, MRIs and CT scans
- Bloodwork results and orders for new bloodwork
- Documents and instructions from a patient’s physician
- Virtual doctor’s appointment platform
- Live text chat platform
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The latter tools – a text chat and video chat features – would need to be developed in accordance with HIPAA regulations. But it would be worth the time, money and effort because the inclusion of these tools can bring great convenience to patients and physicians alike.
Including appointment reminders and confirmation push notifications could dramatically cut the number of no-shows while simultaneously reducing the amount of time staff must spend manually calling patients a day before their appointment.
It’s also possible to include more optional, novel features such as a medication reminder tool or daily health tips – features that keep patients engaged for the long term.
The Advantages of Patient Portal Development
Pursuing the development of a patient portal brings countless benefits. It’s a direct channel between the patient and healthcare team, and when developed properly, it will allow for the free flow of information between those parties, enriching the care experience in significant ways.
Consider these benefits of custom patient portal development.
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- Centralized information – Patients have all of their care instructions, prescriptions, upcoming appointments, bloodwork, test results and other information centralized in one location where it can’t be lost or misplaced.
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- Long term engagement – Patients can be engaged over the long term with push notifications, appointment reminders and so on. This brings health benefits to the patient and the clinic.
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- Less burden on support staff – When everything is centralized on the patient portal, there’s less time spent tracking down missing bloodwork results for patient A or appointment notes for patient B. Integrations will be established during the development process, ensuring that data is sent to the portal automatically. This frees staff to focus on higher level tasks, which benefits everyone involved.
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- Custom branding and features – By having a patient portal developed from the ground up, you’ll enjoy custom branding elements such as logo and color scheme, so it’s all cohesive with the practice website. Plus, you’ll have the ability to include the features and functionalities that matter most to your patients.
Notably, these benefits aren’t limited to the healthcare field. Veterinary clinics and dental clinics can also benefit from the development of a patient portal. It’s also possible to include a variety of emerging technologies in a patient portal such as machine learning-powered artificial intelligence (AI).In the case of a custom development project, your imagination is really the only limit.
Finding the Best Patient Portal Developer for Your Practice
When choosing a development partner for your patient portal development project, it’s best to consider Digital Transformation companies that have experience working in highly-regulated industries. At 7T, our team of Dallas patient portal development experts are well-versed in HIPAA regulations and the measures that must be taken to ensure full compliance.
At 7T, we specialize in multimodal machine learning-powered AI applications across several industries such as healthcare, finance, shipping and logistics, retail and beyond. By working with a top Dallas Digital Transformation development company that’s experienced in the newest emerging technologies like machine learning-powered AI, you’ll maximize your chances of success with quantifiable KPI metrics and ROI.
We have earned a reputation as one of the top Dallas AI development companies, with a Digital Transformation development process that maximizes your chances of success with a problem → solution approach. We’ve found that this works whether it’s a machine learning-powered artificial intelligence development project, business process automations, mobile app development or another form of Digital Transformation. It all begins with a well-thought-out Digital Transformation strategy and a business requirements document that outlines the specs for your project, the user needs and the problems that you’re trying to solve through the implementation and deployment of new technologies.
The Digital Transformation development team here at 7T is guided by the approach of “Digital Transformation Driven by Business Strategy.” As such, the 7T development team works with company leaders who are seeking to solve problems and drive ROI through Digital Transformation and innovative business solutions such as multimodal machine learning-powered AI implementations.
7T has offices in Dallas, Houston and Austin, but our clientele spans the globe. If you’re ready to learn more about AI development and enterprise solutions for organizations in the healthcare space, contact 7T today.
