How Do Patients Feel About Their EHR? Hint: It’s Not Good

Impenetrable portals and long logins are causing patients to think of technology as a hindrance to healthcare access.

Patients aren’t frustrated with just the cost of healthcare. They’re tired of the technology as well.

According to a recent survey of 1,000 people with medical conditions by Software Finder, more than 60% of those surveyed have given up trying to find something in their patient portal , spending an average of 20 minutes trying to navigate through the platform. More than half are experiencing password fatigue trying to access their data, and more than half believe AI is being used in their medical records without their knowledge.

The statistics paint a gloomy picture for healthcare leaders trying to entice patients with the latest technologies. And it signals a need to get ahead of those challenges and focus on a simple, intuitive and seamless pathway to get patients in front of their care.

They also point to the love-hate relationship that everyone seems to have with the EHR. While surveys show that 80% of patients feel they have more control over their healthcare because of EHRs, and 83% say the technology makes healthcare more accessible, close to one-third of patients also say they’ve found errors in their medical records.

The Problem(s) With Portals

The portal may be the first point of entry for patients seeking care, but it seems that those gates don’t open that easily. The survey asked for the most frustrating tasks patients face in their portals. The results:

• 36% cited connecting to multiple health systems, as in moving from one portal to another;
• 33% cited understanding medical terminology or result language;
• 28% cited understanding billing or payment options; and
• 26% cited finding test results.

Rounding out the list were messaging or contacting providers (23%), uploading or sharing medical documents (22%), scheduling/rescheduling appointments (21%) and updating insurance or contact information (16%).

These problems can directly affect patient care and clinical workflows. According to the survey, when encountering an issue in the patient portal, close to a third of patients called the doctor’s office for assistance, while 23% avoided logging in due to anxiety, 19% skipped using the portal entirely and 12% missed or delayed an appointment.

And while data security is a critical strategy for healthcare leaders, patients aren’t thrilled when it interferes with access.

Some 54% of those surveyed say they experience ‘password fatigue’ from managing multiple logins, and 11% say they need five or more logins just to access their medical records. As a result, 46% of patients surveyed download, write down or use screenshots to make sure they have their lab results out of a fear that they’ll need to log back in again.

On the other hand, 61% of patients surveyed say they’re received important medical news or a diagnosis through their portal before hearing it directly from their doctor. This points to a disturbing disconnect between sensitive medical data made available in the portal and the care team charged with presenting that data in the right context to a patient.

Will AI Help, Or Just Be Another Barrier?

Ironically, healthcare executives are looking to AI to address a lot of these problems – in essence, using technology to knock down barriers that past technology implementations have created. But while AI has the potential to improve connections and workflows, there’s still a hefty dose of skepticism.

According to the survey, 44% of patients said they’d prefer that a human review their records for accuracy, and that same percentage would be OK with a balance of human and AI review. But 52% feel that automation is already being used in their EHR without their consent.

Meanwhile 36% of patients surveyed believe their medical records have been used to target advertising or influence insurance pricing.

What Healthcare Leaders Need to Do

When asked what healthcare organizations need to do to make the technology work better for them, 44% asked for options for human or live-chat support when an issue arises, while 42% asked for better interoperability between health systems.

In addition:

• 39% asked for more visual summaries or charts to explain results clearly;
• 37% requested clearer, plain language messaging;
• 35% asked for easier scheduling and messaging;
• 33% want a better mobile app experience;
• 31% asked for fewer logins or passwords;
• 27% want a simplified billing or payment system; and
• 23% want faster loading times and fewer technical glitches.

The end result of all these statistics: Patients don’t want technology to get in the way of their healthcare, and many tools and platforms being introduced to reduce those barriers are making things more complicated.