Medical providers of all sizes can benefit from hosting their own secure patient portal.

When you host your own portal, patients can gain access to their medical records much easier. You’re also not at the mercy of someone else’s hosting, nor are you susceptible to leaking information or having it stolen from an online file sharing platform.

Other benefits, like not having to wait on hold to request files, and being able to customize your server to meet your needs, only further drive home the point.

Check out the 8 benefits you gain by hosting your own online portal!

1. Information Is All in One Place 

Hosting your own secure patient portal means all the information you, your clients, and any relevant third parties need is in one place.

This saves a ton of time that would otherwise be spent on administrative tasks like phone calls and sending emails. And it also lowers the chance of a client’s medical records getting lost or stolen!

2. You Can Streamline Communications Between Multiple Medical Providers

As you know, clients are often in communication with multiple medical providers, not just you. It can be a hassle getting all of their records on one server, especially in a time-sensitive situation like a personal injury claim.

When you host your own portal, you have access to all client records. Files can be updated or added to at any time and stay where you leave them. That way, you don’t have to go digging again in the future.

3. You Don’t Need Multiple User Logins (Unless You Want Them)

Training your staff and getting everyone set up on file sharing platforms is not an easy task, especially if you run a large medical practice. Such a project could be so big that you need to outsource it or delegate it to the IT department. That could be expensive and time-consuming.

With your own online portal, you get to decide exactly how many accounts are needed. You can also give law firms and clients access under one login if you want.

4. You Determine How Secure It Is

Online file sharing platforms like Dropbox or Google Docs might seem “good enough” for sharing patient records. But they really aren’t.

Hosting your own portal lets you decide exactly how secure your platform is. And you’re also not at the mercy of hackers and security breaches—two surprisingly common problems platforms like Dropbox have had in the past.

There are more features than ever before to protect client health records online. 

For example, ShareScape’s portal offers Server-Side Encryption with Amazon S3-Managed Keys. It’s also protected by identity verification, meaning no one can get access to data without your permission.

In-portal communication is also encrypted, negating the risk you take every time you email client records. (This isn’t really HIPAA compliant, by the way.)

5. You Retain 24/7 Access

When you don’t host your own portal, you’re on the timeline of other medical practices. Some are downright difficult to work with, while even the best ones occasionally have delays when uploading and sharing patient records.

Hosting your own online patient portal gives you 24/7 access to client health records. No more waiting until business hours or sitting on hold when something doesn’t arrive on time. 

This makes life easier for you, and also benefits your clients when they need access to documents quickly. It also makes it easy updating cases whenever you need.

6. You Can Easily Integrate It With Your Existing EMR Software

Hosting your own secure patient portal wouldn’t be very useful if it meant you couldn’t use your existing EMR software. At the very least, that would mean you have to transfer all the files over yourself.

Fortunately, most online portals integrate directly with your EMR software. Or, you can choose to upload files individually if you want—whichever makes most sense for your business.

7. Your Portal Works For Your Company’s Size

Health record software is notoriously expensive, especially if you’re handling a large number of cases. Unfortunately, the tiered pricing models often aren’t that fair, either.

A medical provider that handles a few dozen cases per month simply shouldn’t have to pay as much as someone processing hundreds or even thousands.

Hosting your own portal allows you to pay based on your needs. For example, ShareScape charges based on the number of patient accounts and the integration level of your EHR. You pay for what you need and don’t get overcharged for things you don’t.

8. Law Firms Will Be More Likely To Work With You

Hosting your own secure portal is actually an investment in your business. When law firms see that you’re easy to work with, they’re more likely to send business your way in the future.

And the more medical providers on the platform, the easier it is for everyone to gain access to the information they need. 

Hosting Your Own Secure Patient Portal

Everyone wins when medical providers host their own secure patient portals.

It’s easier for you as a medical provider to access and update files, your clients get their health records sooner, and third parties want to work with you because you save them time and money.

Want to learn more about how ShareScape can benefit your business? Request a demo today.