Tech Services

Patient portals are becoming important tools for engagement and population health, but patients are largely unaware of the technology. While patients are generally enthusiastic about viewing their EHR data and engaging with their providers online, a concerning number of patients are unaware of the possibilities of using a patient portal,finds a new survey from Xerox. Among the 64 percent of patients who are not portal users,35 percent did not know a portal was available to them, and 31 percent stated that their providers had never mentioned the technology to them. Despite the widespread lack of knowledge, 57 percent of non-users said they would be more engaged and more proactive in their own healthcare if they had access to their data online. Read more here: Why Don’t 35% of Patients Know that Patient Portals Exist? | EHRintelligence.com

The technology in the medical industry is moving fast, as indicated by one of the latest innovations for remembering to take prescription medications. The wireless pill bottle, developed by AdhereTech , a New York technology firm, will wirelessly transmit data to the patient as a reminder to take medications via a phone call or text message. The hi-tech bottle will also measure the exact number of pills or liquid left in the bottle. By using built-in sensors and technology similar to a cell phone, the goals of the wireless pill bottle is to use a cellular network for secure data transfer to help patients adhere a schedule for taking their medication on time. The wireless pill bottle technology recently won the grand prize at the Healthcare Innovation World Cup , funded by Boehringer Ingelheim , a group of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies, and organized by HITLAB , a cross-disciplinary public health teaching and research organization. The developers are in the ...