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Showing posts with label Patient Access. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patient Access. Show all posts

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Hospitals Reaping Financial Benefits of Telehealth

By Karen Minich Pourshadi
Health Leaders Media
Originally published July 19, 2012

Here are some excerpts:

The passing of the years has softened resistance by patients to using this approach. Patients are now willing to forego an in-person visit with the doctor in order to get the care they need swiftly, without having to travel, and in some instances at a lower cost. Moreover, the reimbursement environment is changing. Whereas at one time payers rejected the notion of reimbursing e-health, now more are willing to pay for it. Plus, legislators nationwide are creating state laws requiring payers to reimburse for these services, though in many instances payers are doing so irrespective of mandate.

"Telemedicine can lower healthcare costs by reducing avoidable hospital visits and providing regular access to care in remote parts of the state, and it's more convenient for patients," says Georgia Partnership for TeleHealth CEO Paula Guy. The nonprofit telehealth provider works with more than 350 partners and 175 specialists and other healthcare providers and has handled some 40,000 patient encounters as of 2011.

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GPT has also placed telehealth into nursing homes. In 2011, using telehealth resulted in 160 ED visits being avoided, saving approximately $480,000 in ED cost, Guy says, "In the past, these older patients may have just called for an ambulance when they had a problem. But now patients can be seen by a doctor without an expensive ambulance trip to the ED. Plus they can use it for routine access to care, and by getting that they're less likely to end up in the hospital as frequently," Guy says.

Telehealth visits saved 310 miles and nearly six hours of traveling on average, according to a study by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, a three-hospital system for children and teens. CHA reviewed 609 appointments over a nine-month period and noted that approximately 86% of patients would have missed school and more than 80% of parents would have missed a full day of work to go to the city for an in-office visit, according to data published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Additionally, Guy explains that out of the 40,009 telehealth visits GPT tracked, a random sample showed an average savings of patient travel time of 124 miles per encounter and nearly $762,027 in fuel alone.

The entire article is here.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Inviting Patients to Read Their Doctors' Notes


Patients and Doctors Look Ahead
Patient and Physician Surveys
Original Research: Improving Patient Care
Annals of Internal Medicine

By Jan Walker, RN, MBA; Suzanne G. Leveille, PhD, RN; Long Ngo, PhD; Elisabeth Vodicka, BA; Jonathan D. Darer, MD, MPH; Shireesha Dhanireddy, MD; Joann G. Elmore, MD, MPH; Henry J. Feldman, MD; Marc J. Lichtenfeld, PhD; Natalia Oster, MPH; James D. Ralston, MD, MPH; Stephen E. Ross, MD; and Tom Delbanco, MD

Abstract

Background: Little is known about what primary care physicians (PCPs) and patients would expect if patients were invited to read their doctors' office notes.

Objective: To explore attitudes toward potential benefits or harms if PCPs offered patients ready access to visit notes.

Design: The PCPs and patients completed surveys before joining a voluntary program that provided electronic links to doctors' notes.

Setting: Primary care practices in 3 U.S. states.

Participants: Participating and nonparticipating PCPs and adult patients at primary care practices in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Measurements: Doctors' and patients' attitudes toward and expectations of open visit notes, their ideas about the potential benefits and risks, and demographic characteristics.

Results: 110 of 114 participating PCPs (96%), 63 of 140 nonparticipating PCPs (45%), and 37 856 of 90 203 patients (42%) completed surveys. Overall, 69% to 81% of participating PCPs across the 3 sites and 92% to 97% of patients thought open visit notes were a good idea, compared with 16% to 33% of nonparticipating PCPs. Similarly, participating PCPs and patients generally agreed with statements about potential benefits of open visit notes, whereas nonparticipating PCPs were less likely to agree. Among participating PCPs, 74% to 92% anticipated improved communication and patient education, in contrast to 45% to 67% of nonparticipating PCPs. More than one half of participating PCPs (50% to 58%) and most nonparticipating PCPs (88% to 92%) expected that open visit notes would result in greater worry among patients; far fewer patients concurred (12% to 16%). Thirty-six percent to 50% of participating PCPs and 83% to 84% of nonparticipating PCPs anticipated more patient questions between visits. Few PCPs (0% to 33%) anticipated increased risk for lawsuits. Patient enthusiasm extended across age, education, and health status, and 22% anticipated sharing visit notes with others, including other doctors.

Limitations: Access to electronic patient portals is not widespread, and participation was limited to patients using such portals. Response rates were higher among participating PCPs than nonparticipating PCPs; many participating PCPs had small patient panels.

Conclusion: Among PCPs, opinions about open visit notes varied widely in terms of predicting the effect on their practices and benefits for patients. In contrast, patients expressed considerable enthusiasm and few fears, anticipating both improved understanding and more involvement in care. Sharing visit notes has broad implications for quality of care, privacy, and shared accountability.

Primary Funding Source: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio, Drane Family Fund, and Koplow Charitable Foundation.

The entire story is here.

Thanks to Ken Pope for this story.