Maximizing Patient Portal Enrollment in the Emergency Department
While onboarding patients to patient portals has become standard practice in outpatient care settings, the unique operational flow of the emergency department (ED) poses several challenges to the standard patient portal onboarding process. Because of this, patients in the ED typically don't sign up for a patient portal account, or if they have one, can't access it readily, missing out on the recognized benefits of this technology. This represents a missed opportunity for both patients and healthcare systems. Vital solves this problem simply, efficiently, and without staff involvement.
Emergency department visits often generate significant follow-up needs: prescription management, lab result reviews, billing questions and collections, and follow-up appointment scheduling, to name a few. Without portal access, these tasks frequently lead to phone tag between patients and staff, missed communications, and frustration on both sides.
The financial benefits of patient portal enrollment are substantial and self-evident. Studies suggest an average savings of $89 per enrolled patient through reduced administrative costs and improved collections. Patients with a portal account are more likely to continue using services at the same health system and have higher experience scores overall.
However, these benefits haven't been fully realized in the emergency department. With the cost per ED visit averaging $1,389, even a small improvement in collection rates (estimated to be quite low, between 30-50% nationally) can significantly impact revenue. ED patients who follow up within your health system have been shown to substantially increase incremental top-line revenue. Better follow-up communication through portals may also reduce unnecessary return visits, further improving the bottom line.
The ED visit, despite its operational challenges, presents a unique opportunity for portal enrollment. Up to 50% of patients who come to the ED during an acute illness or injury are new to the health system. Most, if not all, of these patients need follow-up care after they leave the ED or hospital. ED patients often have high-acuity, urgent health needs that require specialist follow-up: broken arms that need an orthopedic surgeon, chest pain that needs a cardiologist, gallstones that need a general surgeon, to name a few examples.
Vital solves this problem by engaging with patients in the hospital during their wait time. Staff don't need to manage the onboarding process, patients can do it themselves. Because more than two-thirds of patients are already using Vital when they're in the hospital, we can guarantee that a large percentage of those patients (most of whom are new to your health system or have an acute medical need requiring a new specialist for follow-up) are introduced to your portal and log in while receiving care. This is a totally staff-free process, one of the many benefits of Vital's software.