Patient portals are secure online website tools that provide patient access to personal health information (PHI). Access to online PHI improves health equity and satisfies the meaningful use objectives of the Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive program.1,2 Through patient portals, individuals can access PHI records and current diagnoses, request and reschedule appointments, locate test results, track trends for vital signs and laboratory values, refill medications, and communicate directly with the health care team through secure messaging. This alternative method of communication with the team is associated with increased patient satisfaction.3 Patients reported improved patient engagement in health care self-management and decision making, as well as strengthened relationships with their health care team.4
Background
One well-documented strategy to improve portal use includes the development of a nurse champion to facilitate enrollment during the clinic visit.5 Patient perceptions of portal value increased after education by a health care professional (HCP) and assistance in enrollment to familiarize patients with the platform for ongoing use.5 Use of patient portals has been associated with favorable outcomes in chronic disease management. Patients with diabetes mellitus who regularly use patient portals for prescription refills and secure messaging have demonstrated improved glycemic control, medication adherence, and associated health parameters compared with nonusers.5-7 In patients with congestive heart failure, meaningful patient portal use results in fewer emergency department visits, fewer hospital admissions, lower readmission rates, and reduced unscheduled and no-show visits.8-11
Patient portal access is a quality improvement (QI) measure that meets Medicare and Medicaid meaningful use requirements that is designed to improve collaboration between HCPs and patients through EHRs. Despite legislation, uptake of patient portal access has been slow, especially among older adults.10,12,13 Barriers to patient portal registration and use include patient lack of awareness, perceived or actual digital illiteracy, mistrust in privacy precautions, lack of user-friendly interfaces, lack of internet or technology, HCP bias and workload, and misperceptions of usefulness.9,10,12,14 The HCPs most likely to facilitate the use of patient portals, typically include nurse practitioners (NPs), nurses, and medical residents.10,15 Patient portal platforms promote the partnership of these disciplines with the veteran to help the patient better manage their health. Despite the benefits and widespread integration of patient portals in health care systems, socioeconomic inequalities and HCP attitudes contribute to persistent disparities in its adoption by underserved populations. The veteran population is often faced with additional barriers to health care access with regard to geographic location, advanced age, trauma, disabilities, mental health challenges, and homelessness.10,16 These barriers require unique approaches to maximize the use of technologic advances.17 Advanced age contributes to low rates of patient portal enrollment and lack of digital platform use, thus creating a digital divide.11,12
The digital divide is described as the gap between those persons who use technology including computers and internet, and those persons who do not because of social and geographic barriers.16 It contributes to a growing health disparity in both access to care and quality of care especially for rural veterans. About 25% of the US population lacks fixed broadband at home; these individuals are more likely to be racial minorities, older, widowed, or to have lower levels of education.18,19 Veterans are disproportionately represented in these demographic categories.20 According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health, the percentage of rural veterans enrolled in the VA health care system (58%) is significantly higher than enrollment of urban veterans (38%); additionally, 27% of rural veterans do not access the internet at home.21
My HealtheVet
The VA plays an integral part in increasing virtual access to care, from the introduction of My Healthevet (MHV) in 2003 to the distribution of iPad tablets to vulnerable veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic.22,23 Due to COVID-19, the need for VA patient access to the internet and VA Video-Connect (VVC) telehealth services increased significantly.22 Access to internet and hardware supporting use of VVC and MHV has been facilitated by the Digital Divide Consult, a VA program launched in 2020 to increase access to telehealth services.24 The VA has distributed > 26,000 cellular-enabled tablets and provided > 50,000 veterans with connectivity in collaboration with various private sector companies.22 Patients report that MHV facilitates engagement in health care through improved access to EHRs and expedited communication with the health care team.4
MHV is a secure online tool that provides patients access to PHI. MHV aims to empower veterans to take charge of their health by improving communication with HCPs, setting patient goals, and offering health and well-being resources.25,26 In a study of outpatients at a large urban multisite health care system, < 35% of patients on 16 medical resident panels were enrolled in a patient portal.15 MHV internal national metrics show increasing registration and active users of the patient portal, yet locally, disparities in the use of the portal by rural and older veterans exist.
The Local Problem
A review of the registration process at a rural VA clinic revealed barriers to facilitating the veteran registration process at the point of care. Clinical reminders exist within the EHR to prompt clinicians at the point of care to improve quality of care. At the New England Healthcare System (Veterans Integrated Service Network [VISN] 1), a patient portal clinical reminder prompts staff to encourage veterans to register. Anecdotal data obtained from primary care staff interviews at a rural VA primary care clinic in Vermont revealed low clinician confidence in completing the clinical reminder, a lack of knowledge of MHV, and lack of time to educate veterans about the benefits of MHV.