Question

After reading about the patient portal in your text, can you think of any potential disadvantages of patients using the patient portal system within the EHR? justify your answer

Answer 1

Disadvantages of patients using the patient portal system within the HER:

While there are a number of clear benefits to using a patient portal with your EHR or EMR, there are also some drawbacks to be aware of,

Healthcare data security concerns

Patient portals, generally speaking, are a health IT interface on which patients can view their own protected health information (PHI). Although this can be viewed as a good thing because patients do have the right to see their own health data, it also opens doors for security concerns.

Difficult patient buy-in

The most frequently reported downside to patient portals is the difficulty providers often face in generating patient buy-in. Although providers are generally aware of the health perks of using a patient portal, patients are seldom as excited about the portal as they are.

Patient portal regulations that are a part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) meaningful use requirements add another foil to the patient portal adoption debate. Because it is quite clear that providers cannot control the actions of their patients, portals are sometimes viewed negatively because providers struggle with this meaningful use attestation requirement.