Presently, the importance of the doctor-patient relationship has become paramount. As part of the push to improve the quality of medical services, patient portals have been introduced to enhance medical care facilities. Patient portal software can be made available from a desktop, laptop, or mobile device to enable patients to access personal health information or updates their healthcare provider provides.
Benefits of a Patient Portal A patient portal helps maintain better patient-physician communication so patients can have more control over their medical treatment. Patient portals make it easier for patients to pay their bills and schedule appointments. Some patient portals also allow patients to view their lab reports and schedule medical tests. There are two types of patient portals: standalone solutions and online patient portals. Regardless of their type, such portals are highly beneficial to patients and physicians. Steps to Develop a Patient Portal If you want to develop a patient portal, there are several steps to developing one. These include determining business goals, features the portal would need, and a clear plan. Also, hiring a medical business strategist is advisable to help you understand what software solution you want to design and build. Some of these are mentioned below: Identify Your Patient It is a good idea to identify your patients to ensure that these will be the people who will use your portal’s features. It doesn’t end here – it also includes factors such as age, average income, gender, and income. You must also understand your patient’s personality, values, habits, and others. It’s all about which problems your portal will solve and how it will benefit your patient. What are your Patients’ Priorities? Your portal’s features should align with your patients’ preferences for it to be successful. Several researchers have pointed out that features such as scheduling medical appointments, viewing test results, and payment capabilities are the most sought-after functionalities. What is the Competition Up To? It always pays to learn from a competitor’s experiences. It is a good idea to research your direct and indirect competitors and learn what they offer and how they differ from your offerings. This will help you better evaluate the uniqueness of your project. Developing a clone may not make sense, so develop a custom portal for your patients’ needs. What are the Regulatory Requirements? Since patient portals process personal data, including sensitive medical information, your portal should be designed per the prevailing regulatory requirements. Such rules and regulations are framed from time to time to ensure that sensitive information is protected and cybersecurity risks are averted from time to time. For example, in the United States, HIPAA regulations govern the development of secure patient portals. Yet another regulation in the USA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HITECH) Act of 1996. Specifically, it is a federal act that requires the creation of national standards so that sensitive patient health information is protected from being disclosed without the knowledge or consent of the patient. Think about Data Security Healthcare data is critical and vulnerable to hackers. All possible security measures need to be undertaken to protect patient data. Begin by ensuring that your portal software follows all regulatory standards. Also, ensure that the portal is secured by security software, which is updated regularly. At the same time, data should be encrypted to prevent data loss. Furthermore, modernize your legacy software and educate patients about the latest data standards. You should be PCI DSS certified and need to obtain SSL certification for payment integration functionalities. Hire a Technical Team The next step is to hire a competent software development company to give life to your concept. Make a note of parameters such as expertise and experience in healthcare. Also, inquire if the software development company can build the solution according to your specifications. Go for App Development Finally, go for portal development. Scrutinize requirements and business needs, which will help you create a project specification. It should include all the portal requirements, such as features, tech stack requirements, etc. Aspects like UI/UX design and prototyping, development and integration, and quality assurance and testing must be accomplished. Finally, the patient portal app will be ready for presentation to customers and stakeholders. Frequent upgrades and support will improve the product lifecycle and help your portal to keep up with the dynamic requirements of patients and other users. Conclusion So, why not improve patient experience and engagement through a patient portal that provides features such as easy medical records management, bill payment, prescription refills, and appointment scheduling? Additionally, you can include features such as appointment reminders, billing updates, health alerts, and follow-up instructions. OmniMD can help you with patient portal development. Contact us to learn more!
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2023
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