July 05, 2007
The Downside of Email With Patients
Patients who consult with their physicians via e-mail are less likely to visit their physician and less likely to call their doctor's office, according to data from the Kaiser Permanente Clinical Systems Planning and Consulting Group. The Kaiser study found a decline of between 7% and 10% in primary care office visits for patients who e-mail their physicians and a 14% decrease in patient phone calls to doctors' offices.
Kaiser Northwest began using email several years ago as part of a pilot project, and according to the Portland Business Journal, approximately 113,000 Kaiser members in Oregon and Washington state use the Internet and e-mail services as part of their health plan. The increase in secure email services apparently has translated into reduced income for physicians whose revenue is generated by direct face-to-face contact.
As patients become increasingly interested in the use of e-mail to connect with their physicians, health systems will need to develop a new business model to pay for this mode of communication.
Portland Business Journal Article
Interesting article from the Permanente Journal
Managing E-mail Interactions with Patients: A Discussion with Clinicians in Evaluating the Personal Health Link Project
More recent article from the Permanente Journal
MyChart--A New Mode of Care Delivery: 2005 Personal Health Link Research Report
Article from The American Journal of Managed Care
Patient Access to an Electronic Health Record With Secure Messaging: Impact on Primary Care Utilization