Electronic Health Reporter

HIMSS Analytics releases its latest Essentials Brief. The 2014 Patient Portal Study is the first in the HIMSS Analytics series of Essentials Briefs to focus on patient engagement.

In addition to voice of customer (VOC) insight from healthcare IT executives across the country, the 2014 Patient Portal Study incorporates data from the HIMSS Analytics Database to provide a comprehensive view of the market as it pertains to this technology. Topics in the brief include market utilization, vendor market share and trajectory, as well as the relationship between meaningful use Stage 2 and patient engagement.

“Patient engagement is more than just today’s hot topic – it is foundational to the future of healthcare,” said HIMSS Analytics Research Director, Brendan FitzGerald. “The patient portal study is the first in our series of Briefs dedicated to patient engagement, and we wanted to go beyond the statistics and delve into the executive mindset.”

Key findings of the study:

• Show patient portals typically come from the EHR vendor currently used by the organization

• Indicate room for improvement, as IT executives did not display a high level of passion for their organization’s current solution

• Highlight cultural issues within organizations as a major challenge to overall patient engagement initiatives

HIMSS Analytics Essentials Briefs are complimentary for hospitals and health systems, and are available for a fee to all other interested parties. To request a copy, please email consulting@himssanalytics.org from your employer’s email domain.

HIMSS Analytics collects, analyzes and distributes essential health IT data related to products, costs, metrics, trends and purchase decisions, delivering it to healthcare delivery organizations, IT companies, governmental entities, financial, pharmaceutical and consulting companies.