KLAS: CIOs Stay On Path When Selecting A Portal

There are times when familiarity does not breed contempt, according to a new KLAS report, which found that convenience and the ease of integration that comes from having an established relationship with an EMR vendor are primary drivers in selecting a patient portal.

The increased pressure organizations are facing to engage with patients at deeper levels has propelled portals to the top of CIOs’ priority list, particularly as Meaningful Use deadlines loom. In the study — Patient Portals 2012: The Path of Least Resistance — KLAS found that about one-half of interviewed providers already had a portal in place, primarily from their current EMR vendor. Providers that need to connect a number of disparate EMRs were the only group more likely to opt for a best-of-breed solution.

“The existing EMR vendor relationship appears to be more important than any other factor when choosing a patient portal,” said report author Mark Allphin. “While functionality and ease of use are important to providers, they take a backseat compared to providers’ desire to manage fewer vendors and interfaces.”

Although many providers are choosing to stay with incumbent EMR-based patient portals, KLAS did report significant interest and engagement with third-party vendors, including Intuit Health, Jardogs, Medseek, NextGen, and RelayHealth.

To access the full report, which details experiences with each of the vendors and also takes an early look at popular EMR vendor solutions, including Epic MyChart — visit KLAS online.