A question we often hear at the Foundation is: what exactly is patient engagement?

In 2012, 伦纳德基士, a health IT strategy consultant, described patient engagement as “the Blockbuster Drug of the Century.”¹ 事实上, there is mounting evidence that activated and engaged patients have better health outcomes and care experiences, as well as significantly lower costs.

But it’s much more complex than a simple definition. By way of recent work in this important area, we’ve come to understand that patient portals can be a key tool to encouraging patient engagement.

在诊所, the use of patient portals represents an increasingly significant innovation in support of patient engagement, patient‐centered care and effective use of health care services. They are secure online websites that give patients convenient, secure access to their health care providers’ services, as well as access to their own health records. When patient portals are integrated with electronic health record (EHR) systems, the technology has the potential to provide a powerful mechanism for increasing patient activation and engagement.

当完全杠杆化时, a patient portal can be a robust tool for safety-net clinics, 提供者和患者都一样.

Which is why the Colorado Health Foundation, with support from Full Circle Projects and 14 participating grantees, 已正式 推出了新的, one-stop-shop for valuable tools on how to effectively plan and implement a patient portal that helps empower individuals and families to manage their own health.

从2014年5月到2017年4月, the Foundation supported and led a funding opportunity, Enhance Health Engagement through Patient Portal Use, with 14 Colorado safety net clinics across the state. This funding opportunity was designed to increase individual and family engagement in their health through the use of patient portals at the clinic level. By focusing on people and process, as opposed to technology alone, this funding opportunity aimed to build a culture where a patient could access and use health information to improve their health and health behaviors.

新推出的 Patient Portal Knowledge Center was developed as a result of this work to provide clinicians with key patient portal resources, 可下载. These resources are practical for use in both implementation of a new project or integration with an existing one. They include real-world examples, 工作描述, 免费使用的图片和海报, as well as sample policies and procedures.

The Knowledge Center covers key topics for planning and launching (or relaunching) a patient portal, 包括:

• 患者门户基础
• 门户计划和领导
• 门户软件和供应商
• Deploying and operating a portal
• Portal deployment for varied populations

We hope the Knowledge Center provides you with relevant information, context and best practices that will help support your own patient portal project – whether it’s new or you’re reinventing an existing portal.

我代表基金会, I’d like to thank Tom Dawson and James Meyers, 认为, 尼古拉斯, 全循环项目的FACHE, who were responsible for coaching the grantees over a two-year period and developing content for this new Knowledge Center.

最后的。, 但肯定不是最不重要的, we’d like to extend our gratitude to the grantees who participated in this important and informative work. The Knowledge Center – and the valuable lessons learned from the project – would not be possible without your tireless commitment to improving the health of Coloradans.

 

¹ 基士,我. The Blockbuster Drug of the Century: An Engaged Patient. 卫生标准. 8月. 28, 2012. http://healthstandards.com/blog/2012/08/28/drug-of-the-century/. 2017年6月7日发布.