Portals

Shared decision making is a burgeoning field involving a combination of personal interaction and digital technology. This year's Third Annual Shared Decision Making Summit, to be held Sept. 19-20 in Boston, will feature case studies of organizations that are enhancing outcomes with shared decision making.

A recent online consumer survey found that electronic medical records (EMRs) are an important factor in patient satisfaction with their doctors, as well as their choice of healthcare providers. The survey was conducted by Deerfield, Ill.-based Aeffect, Inc., a research and consulting firm, and 88 Brand Partners, a marketing firm in Chicago.

Health information exchange executives spend a lot of time investigating possible sources of revenue to guarantee their sustainability beyond the era of federal grants. Could providing a patient portal that crosses health system boundaries be one of the value-added services they provide? Patients who see eight to 10 providers a year do not want to create their own records by cobbling together information from multiple health systems.

Cleveland Clinic, a large nonprofit multi-specialty academic medical center, has announced that it is making patient data more transparent through its MyChart online patient portal.

In a recent webinar, leaders involved with the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE) talked about the organization’s partnership with the National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC). This collaboration is an effort to get providers in the state to better engage their patients, in accordance with Stages 2 and 3 of the government’s mandated Meaningful Use program.