Developing a Patient Portal Business Plan Template for Health Care Systems

Abstract

Background: A patient portal allows patients to access their medical information, review educational content, communicate with their healthcare providers, manage appointments and request refill prescriptions using a secure website. Prior findings have shown the benefits of patient portals on improving patient-provider communication and other patient outcomes. Despite the increasing use, there is a lack of business guides for implementing patient portals. Aim: The aim of the study was to develop a business plan template that can be used as a guide for an executive team. Design: This was a Delphi study using an online survey. Methods: An initial Patient Portal Business Plan template, including 9 main sections and 36 subsections was developed based on literature review. A modified e-Delphi methodology was then used to refine and validate the initial template. Consensus from a panel of 12 experts was obtained through two rounds of surveys. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings: All experts completed two surveys. In the first round, most experts agreed on the major and sub-sections of the templates. Revisions were made by removing one subsection, merging two main sections, and providing additional example in a question. In the second round, consensus was reached for all 8 main and 33 subsections. Conclusion: A patient portal has a significant potential to benefit patients and clinicians. The business plan template developed in this study can guide executive team to maximize the outcomes of patient portal implementation. Further research is needed to improve health outcomes, user satisfaction, and sustainability of patient portals.