Patient portal

• Contact with patients via secure email will free up your time to spend with those patients who need a face to face appointment.
• You have a new way to engage and communicate with your patients.
• Helps manage patient demand and provides a more effective way to manage less complex patients.
• Improve safety by patients being able to view a written record of clinical instructions.
• Enhances collaboration between teams.
• Reduce paperwork.
• Reduces current costs to communicate with patients through electronic recalls, online lab results and secure email.
• Strengthened general practice/patient relationships.
• Enhanced customer service - 24/7 access for patients without extending practice hours.
• Reduce 'no shows' by enabling patients to schedule appointments at a time to suit them.
• Can generate additional revenue.

Ultimately, the online patient portal will save you and your team time and money! Giving patients access to their medical records and personal information, and the ability to suggest corrections, can improve the accuracy of records. 

All patients should have access to the online patient portal, even if they do not see their GP very often.  Patients never know when an emergency situation may arise where their basic medical information could be critical, such as blood type or any allergies. The online patient portal helps to give them piece of mind.

In the video linked below, guests Dr Will Reedy and Dr Jeff Lowe discuss the use of patient portals as a means of consumer empowerment and how to improve uptake of portals in New Zealand.