A recent survey from Accenture showed patients are adopting the use of healthcare technology for elements of their care. This growing acceptance of health tech presents new opportunities for medical practices to differentiate themselves and also cut costs.

Patients like the added conveniences of health tech like time savings, better access to information and availability. But patients aren’t the only ones benefiting from health tech, medical practices can too. Medical practices who implement health tech can overcome common practice management challenges and experience better efficiency, resulting in cost savings.

So what health tech tools are patients using that practices can implement now for better efficiency and cost savings? Patient portals, patient kiosks and virtual care applications.

Patient Portal

Patient portals are becoming increasingly popular among physicians and patients, and for good reason. Portals give patients the ability to access and provide health information, schedule appointments, see test results, request medication refills, send secure messages, and pay for care, all online. Imagine the time saved for your staff when a patient uses the patient portal to schedule an appointment or send a secure message to ask a question, as opposed to calling in over the phone. Tasks being completed online by the patient presents significant savings for a medical practice.

From a cost perspective, portals allow your staff to work more efficiently and decrease overhead costs. For example, by sending lab results or patient statements electronically via the portal, practices can cut down on paper, envelopes and postage. In some cases, practices can also improve collection of payments. CareMed, a Practice EHR customer and urgent and primary care clinic based in New York, noted a 30 percent increase in payments from patients because patients could easily pay their bill online.

According to Medscape, patient portals have a variety of benefits, enabling medical practices to work more efficiently, use less resources, improve revenue during slow periods and reduce patient no shows.

Patient Kiosks

Kiosks are becoming a popular solution for medical practices and patients because they provide a more modern and efficient check in process.  Instead of filling out paperwork upon arrival, patients can enjoy a self-service check in system to not only check in, but also to pay for their visit and provide important information, like demographics, family history, etc.

The kiosk eliminates the need for paper forms and inefficiencies that come with it, again saving time and money for your practice. Additionally, some kiosks will automatically integrate that information into your electronic health record (EHR), so that your staff doesn’t have to re-enter information, also reducing errors or miscommunication.

Self-service isn't a new idea. It's been adopted in other industries already; consumers want the ability to easily complete tasks at their own convenience. Studies show that consumers strongly desire access to self-service options in healthcare too.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine gives physicians and patients the ability to connect remotely. The main benefit of telemedicine is convenience and the ability to conduct a patient visit where you choose, but telemedicine can also have financial benefits.

With telemedicine, practices experience fewer missed appointments because televisits are more convenient and affordable for patients. Additionally, telemedicine opens up additional revenue streams. For example, telemedicine gives physicians the opportunity to offer services outside of normal business hours, without the additional overhead costs.

Patient portals, kiosks and telemedicine get patients more involved in their care in a modern way, while also eliminating redundant work, wasted resources and inefficient and costly processes. Are you ready for better efficiency in your medical practice? Practice EHR comes standard with these features. See for yourself— request a demo with one of our clinical specialists today!