Predicted increase in patient portal technology
Published: June 26, 2014
Contract AwardsElectronic Health RecordHealth CareHealth IT
State and local health departments are increasingly looking for IT solutions that allow beneficiaries to have greater access to their personal health information through patient portals. Since 2010, Deltek has tracked 30 solicitations that mention or require patient portal technology. In 2013 alone, Deltek saw a nearly 50 percent increase in patient portal solicitations, partly due to Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements, which kicked off this year for many providers.
Technology review site Software Advice conducted a recent survey of providers who use electronic health record (EHR) software and found that 35 percent of EHR users are planning to invest more in patient portals in 2014 than they did in 2013. Spending on patient portals is estimated to reach $900 million by 2017, demonstrating the increased role patient portals and other patient engagement technology are expected to play in the coming years.
Patient portals are usually procured for as part of an electronic health record system or health information exchange (HIE). In 2010 and 2011, states like Illinois, Georgia, and Louisiana released solicitations for health information exchanges that either gave vendors the option of providing a patient portal or expressly required a portal in later phases of implementation. In more recent years, states like Arkansas, Florida, and New York are issuing solicitations for patient portals as a stand-alone technology that can be seamlessly integrated into a state’s HIE. As states look to strengthen their EHR systems, we expect to see an increased demand for solutions that include patient portals.
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