According to a patient engagement study, conducted by Intuit Health (Cary, N.C.) in April, 95 percent of doctors want their patients to fill out medical and registration forms online before their appointment. When Intuit Health asked patients about filling out forms and the registration process, 81 percent said they’d like to move this task online too.

The survey also identified many opportunities for practices to become far more efficient, including many areas where they could save time, money and build stronger, ongoing relationships with patients.

• Nearly one of every four health care providers who do not offer an online communication solution feels it is difficult for patients to reach them to ask questions, make appointments or receive lab results.
• Nearly half reported their practices are running 30-60 minutes behind schedule.
• One-third of providers say their staff spends three or more hours each day trying to reach patients to communicate follow-up information.
• Eighty-three percent of doctors say their staff has to remind their patients more than once before a patient pays a bill.
• Forty-five percent say phone interruptions happen so frequently they impact office efficiency.
• Seventy-two percent say patients complain about having to repeatedly fill out the same paper forms, and more than 50 percent say their patients complain about spending too much time in the waiting room.