Improving Patient Engagement with Modern EHR Portals
What patient portals can do for engagement, the features that matter, and practical steps to get patients using them.
Patients who stay engaged between visits tend to keep appointments, stay on treatment and raise concerns earlier. A patient portal is one of the simplest ways to make that easier.
The Patient Engagement Challenge
Common problems practices see:
- Patients forget post-visit instructions
- Phone tag for scheduling and refills
- Confusion about medications
- Intake paperwork left until the patient arrives
- Questions that wait until the next appointment
What Patient Portals Commonly Offer
Portals vary a lot between systems. Features you'll often see include:
Communication
- Secure messaging with the care team
- Prescription refill requests
- Appointment requests
- Pre-visit questionnaires and forms
Appointment Management
- Online booking
- Reminders by email or text
- Links to telehealth visits
Health Information
- Visit information and care instructions
- Medication lists
- Lab results
Billing
- Saving a payment method
- Viewing balances and paying online
Why Engagement Matters
Research on portals is mixed, and results depend heavily on how a practice uses them. Portals are most useful when they remove a specific barrier, such as making it easy to request a refill before running out, complete forms before a visit or ask a question without calling. They work best alongside, not instead of, good clinical communication.
Features That Drive Engagement
Easy Access
- A simple sign-in that doesn't depend on remembering yet another password
- Works well on a phone browser as well as a computer
Plain Language
- Clear navigation
- Instructions written for patients, not clinicians
Forms Before the Visit
- Intake packets completed at home
- Screeners such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 completed ahead of follow-ups, so scores are ready to discuss
Jogaza's Patient Portal
Jogaza, an EHR for psychiatric and behavioral health practices, includes a web patient portal where patients can:
- Sign in with a one-time email code, with no password to remember
- Message the care team securely, in both directions
- Request refills and appointments
- Send updates for the clinician to review
- Complete forms, including intake packets sent before the first visit and screeners sent before follow-ups
It's a web portal, so there are no native iOS or Android apps, and there are no family or dependent accounts. Telehealth visits use Zoom or Google Meet: Jogaza creates a meeting link for each telehealth visit. Appointment reminders go out by email, and by text for patients who agreed to texts.
Best Practices for Portal Adoption
1. Active Enrollment
- Invite patients when they book or check in
- Give simple written instructions
- Help patients sign in the first time if they need it
2. Staff Training
- Make sure all staff can answer basic portal questions
- Agree on a short explanation staff can give patients
3. Promotion
- Mention the portal in appointment confirmations and intake packets
- Remind patients during visits what they can use it for
4. Ongoing Communication
- Point patients to the portal for refills and forms
- Ask patients what is and isn't working
Addressing Common Concerns
"Our patients won't use technology"
- Many older adults are comfortable online, but not all are
- Keep phone and in-person options available
- Offer help with the first sign-in
"We'll get overwhelmed with messages"
- Set and publish expected response times
- Make clear the portal is not for emergencies, and tell patients what to do in a crisis, such as calling 988 or 911
- Decide who triages messages and how
"Is it secure?"
- Choose a portal that encrypts data and logs access
- Ask the vendor how patients sign in and how their identity is checked
- Make sure you have a BAA with any vendor that handles PHI
Measuring Success
Track a few metrics before and after launch:
Adoption
- Share of active patients who have signed in
- Share who signed in within the last 30 days
Engagement
- Messages per month
- Refill and appointment requests through the portal
- Forms completed before visits
Efficiency and Outcomes
- Phone call volume
- No-show rate
- Patient feedback
Conclusion
A patient portal works best when it solves concrete problems: fewer calls, forms done before the visit and an easy way to ask a question. Choose one that fits how your patients actually communicate, then put effort into getting them to use it.