A new electronic "portal" developed for patients of the Duke University Health System aims to transfer various components of the health-care experience from manila folders to patients' computer screens.
DUHS and IBM launched a patient service website, HealthView Portal, for as many as 500,000 patients who visit its three major hospitals-Duke University Hospital, Durham Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital.
The portal provides patients with a single medium for accessing many different aspects of their health care, as well as lessening wait times, said Dr. Michael Russell, associate chief informational officer of the Duke University Medical Center.
"Now patients can pay bills, request appointments and check the accuracy of their medical profiles online," Russell said. "I have personally tried and found the process of booking an appointment to be much more streamlined [by the portal]."
Health systems usually employ several websites to conduct bill payment and clinical communications. The Duke HealthView Portal combines services more efficiently by using a unified website and a single user authentication for each patient.
"In order to build deeper relationships with our patients, we needed a unified communication tool that would bring together different data for a holistic view," said Asif Ahmad, vice president of diagnostic services and chief informational officer of the medical center and hospital, in a statement last Thursday.
In the future, Duke plans to expand HealthView Portal to promote more effective and interactive experiences for patients, Russell said.
"Patients will be able to not only look at their medical information but also interact on a personal level with healthcare professionals," Russell said.
Doctors will be able to comment on lab results and relay that information to patients online, he added.
Express and kiosk check-in will allow patients to complete clinical forms and register online in order to shorten wait times.
"We're also looking into E-visits-when patients can communicate with doctors in an online manner," Russell said. "This eliminates the need for patients to come to the clinic, and it is covered by insurance."
Although a few other hospitals around the country are using similar online resources, the speed and breadth of Duke's portal is significant compared to other sites, Russell said.
"We haven't advertised at all, and already we have about a thousand users who have registered," he said.
The IBM WebSphere technology, an essential part of the HealthView Portal, is used by many companies, and it has proven to be secure and robust, Russell said.
Last year, DUHS launched an initiative aiming to integrate medical notes and prescription services into one electronic system across DUHS clinics. The portal, however, seeks to further integrate patients' and doctors' knowledge into one site, Russell said.
"Innovative customers like Duke Medicine are utilizing technology to build a secure foundation for patient-centric care," said Dan Pelino, general manager of the IBM Global Healthcare and Life Sciences, in a statement last Thursday.
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