Investigating the Impact of Patient Portal on Patient Intake Process

Objectives: Many dental practices are using patient portals to improve the quality and access to care. Understanding the impact of patient portals to clinical processes is critical for successful implementations. In this study, we focused on the patient intake process to investigate the impact of patient portal. The objectives were to model and compare the with and without portal patient intake processes at an academic dental clinic and to identify gaps and bottlenecks.
Methods: There are three steps in the study. First, we interviewed clinical staff and IT experts at the academic clinic regarding its patient intake processes before and after the implementation of the patient portal. We learned about the steps and actions in the processes and collected their feedback and comments. Second, we modeled both processes using the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) method. This step helped us to understand the impact of the portal on patient intake process. Third, we analyzed the with portal patient intake process to identify gaps and bottlenecks, and proposed a revised process and improvement suggestions on the portal.
Results: There were three patient intake process models created in this study - the without portal model, the current with portal model, and the revised with portal model. By analyzing the first two models, we can see the impacts of patient portal on the intake process, such as speeding up information collection, avoiding missing documentation, reducing errors due to difficulty deciphering patient handwriting, and shortening appointment time. The revised model targeted on simplifying and streamlining the process to encourage more patient engagement and satisfaction with the patient portal. We also identified new features to support the revised process.
Conclusions: The models can help to understand the impact of patient portal to intake process and provide the foundation for further patient portal and process improvements.