Physician practices find email communication improves productivity and generates income
The Online Patient-Provider Communication project provides a detailed review of electronic communication tools available to physician practices of all sizes; case study summaries on how single, multi-site, and integrated delivery systems use these tools; and vendor lists offering various online communication solutions. In this projet, physicians use email with patients to discuss symptoms and treatment, determine the necessity of office visits, respond to billing inquiries, provide test results, and schedule appointments.
Stand-alone products require the least amount of technical savvy and investment. Integrated systems that link to existing electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management systems require more extensive hardware, software, and networking set-up.
Where stand-alone products that require a PC, software, and an Internet connection enable online communication; integrated systems bring online messaging, patient demographics, and medical records all into one place. Such systems make workflow across the practice more seamless.
Costs range from $50 monthly subscriptions for simple email accounts to advanced EMR products that start at $10,000 per physician workstation. Mechanisms available to assure online security include encryption software that makes it difficult for intercepted messages to be read by unauthorized persons.
For more info see the California Healthcare Foundation
Posted by rsk at November 25, 2003 10:43 PM