Ophthalmology Patient Portal and Online Communication Editorial

Add a Patient Portal to Enhance Web Site Functionality

January 1, 2009

During the dot com years of the late 90’s, the hype for internet-based business applications got ahead of reality. The subsequent dot-com bust brought this all to a crashing halt. The pendulum first swung to one extreme and then to the other. In the post-bust years, the true potential of the internet to facilitate information transfer and commerce has come to fruition. Tech guru Tim O’Reilly originated the term Web 2.0 to refer to the business revolution caused by the move to the internet as a platform. The incorporation of a patient portal into the practices web site offers the potential for the transformational change O’Reilly envisions for Web 2.0.

Every medical practice should be embracing the web and determining its internet strategy going forward. One forward thinking practice administrator with whom I recently spoke put it succinctly: “I want to drive my patients to the practice’s web site.” His thinking focused on two aspects of the practice’s 

 Paul C. Seel, MD, MBA
 Vice President & Medical
 Director
 Sophrona Solutions

profitability: reducing costs and maximizing revenue opportunities.

Drilling down a bit, the cost of providing eye care for patients in a climate of stagnant reimbursements should be a priority. What does it cost to provide that care and how can these costs be reduced through web based applications? Alternatively, the pertinent revenue side question is what do my patients want and how can I efficiently fulfill those desires?

Most practices currently understand the need for a web site. It is an efficient tool to provide information to both prospective and current patients. Office addresses, phone numbers and the names of the providers with brief biographical sketches are typically available. These sites also include information about various procedures and services. As useful as these first generation web sites are however, they are limited in their ability to gather patient information. These sites can push information out. There is no ability to gather information from the patients and in this respect, they are one dimensional.

Adding a patient portal to the practice’s web site permits the collection of information, and the ability to support two-way communication. With this comes a tremendous increase in functionality. Cost saving functions include making appointments, collecting new patient information in an electronic format, paying bills by credit card and ordering contact lenses. In addition, collecting information about the patient’s preferences in advance enables visit planning. Each patient’s office experience can be customized based on his or her preferences and desires thereby increasing revenues. A visit plan might include providing additional information prior to or during the visit explaining the benefits of premium IOL’s, high refractive index opticals or the latest advances in contact lenses. The visit might also include scheduled face time with the appropriate staff such as the optical manager or refractive coordinator.

The addition of a patient portal to a practice web site begins to capture the potential envisioned by O’Reilly’s web 2.0. Medical practices can utilize web based functionality to reduce their costs and maximize revenue by fulfilling each patient’s desires.

The future is now and it’s very exciting!

Paul C. Seel, MD, MBA
Vice President & Medical Director
Sophrona Solutions
Email: pseel@sophrona.com