Want Patient Engagement? Give Patients Access to Their Medical Records Online

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) stipulates that patients must be permitted to review and amend their medical records. As online patient portals and other information technologies make medical records more accessible to patients, it is going to become more commonplace for patients to review their records routinely.

Allowing patients easy electronic access to their health information is a critical step for increasing patient engagement. The benefits that stem from providing this type of access include:

• Verifying that medical records are both accurate and complete
• Better care coordination among multiple providers
• The use of apps and tools that allow patients to set and meet personal health goals

With the Bridge Patient Portal, health organizations have the flexibility to allow patients to see a standard health history. The options to view in detail, add, edit, delete and print records are all standard fare where the patient or physician can enter a condition or symptom, its status, and when it began. Additional information for past or current patient health histories includes: Medications, Allergies, Immunizations, Surgical History, Family History and Social History.

What makes Bridge different from other patient portal solutions?

There are two differentiating factors of Bridge Patient Portal not often found in the market:

1. The entire patient health history section can be updated with the use of intake forms. These forms can be replicated from the library of existing forms or can be customized using the practice’s forms. In either case, all information is captured in a structured data format and updates to the patient’s record immediately upon submission. When interfaced with an EMR system, the health organization’s EMR records can be updated simultaneously as well.
2. Since Bridge Patient Portal uses a SNOMED nomenclature where all information is assigned a SNOMED code, it has the capability to allow for future reporting and interfacing with apps and tools. This powerful feature creates connections between any of the sections within the medical record and allows it, for example, to provide automated recommended patient reading based on their current conditions and medications.

We live in a day and age where people can go online to do their banking and review their credit report, yet a vast majority of Americans have never accessed their health records electronically. Most people don’t even know whether their medical records are even accurate. Furthermore, many may want to know, but aren’t comfortable asking their physician questions regarding their records or challenging a prescribed course of treatment.

With Bridge Patient Portal, patients can step into the 21st century to have access and take control of their own health records. It has laid the technological groundwork to provide for not only today’s healthcare organizations and patients’ needs, but for tomorrow’s as well.