This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Internet-based messaging not linked to fewer patient phone calls to clinics

Although the use of patient-to-provider electronic messaging did not decrease the number of telephone calls a clinic received from patients, practices may see other benefits in terms of a more engaged and better educated patient base, according to research published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

“Adoption of internet-based patient portals does come with potential challenges. Implementation barriers include a lack of infrastructure, reimbursement issues, and changes in staff workload,” Eve N. Dexter, MS, of the department of family medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, and colleagues wrote. “Projected benefits are, however, believed to outweigh the tribulations that come with any major administrative change such as this.”

Researchers monitored electronic patient-to-provider messages (made through an internet-based portal called MyChart) and incoming phone calls at four different clinics.

They found patients using internet portals increased at all four clinics. From February 2009 to June 2014, usage increased from 25.1% to 72.6% at clinic one and from 43.9% to 71.7% at clinic two. Clinics three and four implemented portals in July 2011. From then until June 2014, usage increased from 2.4% to 21.2% at clinic three and 9.7% to 39.1% at clinic four.

The researchers also found that the number of phone calls increased during the same timeframe at three locations: from 439 calls per 1,000 patients to 584 calls at clinic one; from 508 calls per 1,000 patients to 636 calls at clinic three; and from 755 calls per 1,000 patients to 1,002 calls at clinic three. At clinic two, the number of calls decreased from 739 per 1,000 patients to 502.

Researchers attributed these increases to a patients’ desire to speak with their doctor after receiving an electronic message, potential computer error messages and the ease of making an appointment over the phone. The potential for a data bias also existed that patients might call back multiple times but only received one portal message.

“Health care organizations must look to other benefits of implementation beyond the hope of reducing phone communication, such as improving patients' education regarding their medical conditions and treatments, improving the accuracy of health care records by allowing patients easy access to them, and giving patients a sense of empowerment around their health care,” Dexter and colleagues wrote. “The decision to adopt an internet-based patient portal involves a major paradigm shift for health care organizations. As technology becomes increasingly integrated with health care, study of the benefits and effects of Internet-based patient portals will be an important area of research.” – by Janel Miller

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.