Many hospitals are not prepared for Large Language Model (LLM)-based patient portals, says Dr. Roel Bolt, CMIO of Franciscus Hospital, who recommends local hosting to preserve data integrity. While modern patient portals offer features like chatbots and digital twins to enhance the patient experience, it may take time to integrate advanced LLMs effectively. Dr. Bolt highlights the potential of patient portals for improving patient outcomes, engagement, and operational efficiency. However, barriers such as limited digital literacy and health illiteracy must be addressed through training and awareness campaigns.
Many hospitals have yet to embrace the potential of Large Language Model (LLM)-based patient portals, according to Dr. Roel Bolt, the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) at Franciscus Hospital. To effectively implement these models, he advises hosting them locally to safeguard data integrity.
In the realm of modern patient portals, various capabilities have been integrated, such as chatbots and digital twins, to enhance the overall patient experience. Nevertheless, the integration of advanced large language models into patient portals may require some time.
During a session titled “Patient Portal Integration for Enhanced Hospital Operations,” Dr. Roel Bolt from Franciscus Hospital delved into the evolution and innovation of patient portals. In recent years, information technology providers have introduced chatbots to patient portals to address general inquiries related to diseases, hospital visiting hours, and billing.
Dr. Bolt envisions a future where patient portals offer more personalized health recommendations based on digital twins. Predictive capabilities could also be applied to patient portals to anticipate their usage patterns based on patient data.
Another potential innovation on the horizon for patient portals is the incorporation of LLMs. However, Dr. Bolt cautions that while they may provide a convenient means of clarifying medical terminology, these models can still be confusing and may not be the ideal choice for patient interactions. He emphasized the need to understand how LLMs should interact with patients of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and medical conditions before widespread adoption.
Should hospitals decide to incorporate LLMs into their patient portals, Dr. Bolt recommends hosting these models locally to maintain control over the information and ensure data privacy.
Transparency and verification also raise concerns when implementing LLMs in patient portals.
Advantages:
Dr. Bolt highlighted the potential benefits of modern patient portals, citing recent surveys that indicate only 13%-15% of hospitals with patient portals are currently leveraging their full technological capabilities. He emphasized that Implementing patient portals correctly can significantly improve patient outcomes, engagement, and satisfaction. Moreover, patient portals serve as powerful tools for optimizing hospital business operations by streamlining administrative processes, enhancing communication, reducing costs, and providing valuable data for decision-making. Effective utilization of patient portals can ultimately result in more efficient and patient-centered healthcare operations, benefiting both hospitals and patients.
Barriers to Adoption:
While patient portals offer promising advantages, various barriers hinder their full realization. These obstacles include limited digital literacy and internet access, usability issues, security and privacy concerns, and patients’ preference for in-person contact. Dr. Bolt also identified health illiteracy, particularly the difficulty in comprehending medical terminology, as a significant reason for the lower adoption rates of patient portals.
To address these challenges, Dr. Bolt suggested the use of SNOMED CT, a diagnostic thesaurus used for billing and reimbursement in the Netherlands, which also features patient-friendly descriptions. Additionally, he stressed the importance of technical solutions, training, and raising awareness among patients and healthcare professionals as essential steps in overcoming these barriers to patient portal usage. He noted that promoting patient portal use among doctors has been effective in increasing adoption rates.
