Patient portals—online dashboards where patients can access their EHR, view test results, review treatment plans, track referrals, and message their providers—have been around for years.
The adoption of patient portals in the addiction treatment industry was slow, but as more and more providers realize the benefits of these powerful patient engagement tools, patient portal adoption rates at addiction treatment centers and sober living homes are soaring.
That’s because study after study demonstrates that patient portal engagement is associated with improved rates of self-management, especially for chronic diseases like addiction.
Incorporating a patient portal into your organization’s patient care, like the one featured in BehaveHealth’s all-in-one cloud-based addiction treatment management software, is a smart strategy for improving addiction treatment engagement and outcomes at your facility.
Read on for the top three ways smart patient portals can make a big impact on your organization’s effectiveness.
Patient Portals Make Your Addiction Treatment Patients Feel Valued and Connected
Addiction treatment is not possible without a strong relationship between the patient and the provider.
People suffering from SUD often have fragmented relationships in their lives and struggle with trusting those around them. Too many patients feel betrayed by friends, family, and even themselves because of their struggle with addiction.
Learning how to build healthy, trusting relationships in treatment starts with a healthy, trusting relationship between patient and provider.
Patient portals help build relationships and trust between patient and provider because they deliver round-the-clock consistency and transparency to the patient. Patients don’t have to wonder about what’s in their “file” because they have access to the notes that their provider writes and can take an active part in reviewing the documentation associated with their recovery. Patients can access their EHR at any time and send a message to their provider with a follow-up question quickly and easily, building on in-person rapport.
BehaveHealth’s patient portal allows for this easy engagement and transparency from any device, which is good news because studies show that apps in particular generate more patient engagement than any other electronic format.
Patients experiencing these benefits of patient portal access feel valued, supported, and connected. As a result, they do better in their recovery, with fewer relapses and higher levels of motivation to change.
That’s why it should come as no surprise that over 80% of patients report that patient portals are useful to them in their patient journey.
Patient Portals Empower Your Addiction Treatment Patients With Better Control Over Their Care
It’s pretty clear that patient portals are an important part of results-driven, patient-centered care, as studies show that patient portals give patients a greater sense of control over their care.
We already know that when behavioral health patients are directly involved in the development of their treatment plan, engagement and outcomes improve. 97% of patients find this direct involvement, also known as concurrent documentation, helpful during treatment.
When concurrent documentation is employed in a clinical setting, we see an average of 15% reduction in no-show rates, indicating that patients are more motivated to show up to appointments when they feel some ownership of what’s going on in their treatment.
These same benefits are found when patient portals are used in addiction treatment settings. Patients who can easily access their treatment plans are more likely to comply with their treatment plans and interact with their providers about progress.
Easy access to their EHR also means patients are able to share treatment plans, test results, and treatment progress with other providers, making them experts in their own recovery.
The empowered patient is a motivated patient—and at the end of the day, it’s that personal motivation that moves people suffering from SUD through the stages of change and into recovery.
Stronger Patient Engagement Means Better Addiction Treatment Outcomes
Studies have shown that engaged or “activated” patients have better health outcomes than patients who play a more passive role in their care.
When the US Veteran’s Administration first pioneered open sharing of EHRs with patients, they found that patients reported better communication with providers and increased participation in decisions, such as when to seek follow-up care.
With BehaveHealth’s technology, your patient portal dashboard “graduates” to an alumni dashboard upon discharge. This alumni dashboard connects patients to community resources, tracks recovery milestones, and allows for secure follow-up communication between your organization and the alumni, including communications surrounding outcome data collection.
BehaveHealth’s patient and alumni portals create better treatment outcomes in several ways:
Portal access creates more engaged patients, which is positively associated with better treatment outcomes
Alumni access to the portal system means it’s much easier to stay in touch with alumni and collect outcome data
Alumni access to the portal system makes it easier for patients to recognize when follow-up care is needed (by looking at their treatment plan and/or information on relapse warning signs)
Alumni access to the portal system means it’s a seamless process for former patients to get in touch with your organization and request follow-up care, if needed
Why Not Give BehaveHealth’s Patient Portal A Test Drive Today?
With so many benefits associated with patient portals, there’s no good excuse for not including patient portals in your client’s recovery toolkit.
At BehaveHealth, we are proud to offer one of the most comprehensive patient portals in the industry.
Why not claim your free trial today?