When we discuss patient portals, emphasis is frequently placed on the patient benefit. For a change, let’s discuss the potential benefit to a healthcare practice. Incoming phone calls force staff to either drop what they are doing or allow the call to go to voice mail. Voice mail forces the user to retrieve the message – a time consuming prospect. This process may take as long, or often, even longer than taking the call in the first place. Often, the voice mail message may not provide all the details required to fulfill the request. Missing information sets the stage for a protracted period of phone tag and adds additional effort to complete the encounter.
Prompted portal messaging on the other hand delivers all the information required for the encounter and provides the staff with the ability to act on the message at their leisure, all without having to drop what they are doing.
In a busy practice it can be a stress reliever for the staff. Fewer phone calls = fewer interruptions. Response to portal messages can be conducted in a batch mode, whereby the staff member responds to a number of patient requests when things are quieter in the office.
In an example of a well-run office, one may find staggered lunch periods for staff, allowing for continuous production throughout the day. A sample of good practice would be to have staff respond to portal messages prior to the first lunch break and an hour prior to staff leaving for the day.
Many portals inform patients when to expect a response. An even better approach would be to have a “smart” portal where certain key words may define a priority (asthma attack comes to mind). The system action taken might be to send a text message to the appropriate staff person for immediate attention. Even without key words triggering special routing and response expectations, different message types clearly require different and easily quantifiable response time. For example, a new patient would be told someone would get back to them in the next 24 hours, but a billing question might be answered in the next 48. Responses can be prioritized by category and time of day. Many practices have found that the simple act of setting a response time expectation reduces follow up calls from anxious patients.
Imagine the improved patient experience in the above example versus the example Janet Sameh provided in her recent blog post. One of Janet’s doctors’ message portal allows for a 2 business day response, regardless of the subject. Dynamic response time to portal messages, based on message category shows patients that the practice pays attention to why the patient is contacting their provider. This concern would lead to increased message utilization and decreased phone contacts, freeing up more staff time for other tasks including patient care.
In sum, there is a direct correlation of inbound phone calls to staff stress, (the more calls, the more interruptions, the more stress). As phone calls are reduced by web messaging, there is a correlation to the reduction in the incidence of staff stress. Coincidently, batching web-sourced message produces efficiencies unavailable on an individual inbound call by call scenario. As a result, staff becomes more efficient and effective while morale improves; patient experience and satisfaction is enhanced; and the practice (through fewer phone interruptions) appears calmer to the in person visitor. Ultimately, appreciation of the practice is heightened, and it achieves great success.
