Who are portal users vs. early e-Visit adopters? A preliminary analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Patient portals and eVisits are growing due to consumer demand and technological advancements.
• Despite interest, adoption of online health consultations has been slow, with limited understanding of user demographics.
• Understanding user characteristics is crucial for optimizing digital health service adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key features distinguishing early eVisit adopters from general patient portal users.
• To analyze factors influencing eVisit adoption across different ambulatory practices.
• To inform strategies for increasing the uptake of online health consultations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from 10,532 patient portal users, focusing on 336 patients who utilized eVisits.
• Comparison of demographic and health characteristics between eVisit users and general portal users.
• Fixed-effects logistic regression models to assess practice-level variations and insurance impact on eVisit usage.

Main Results:

• eVisit users were younger, predominantly female, not retired, and reported poorer health compared to other portal users.
• eVisit users accessed patient portals more frequently, suggesting higher engagement in health management.
• Practice-specific strategies and insurance coverage for eVisits were significant predictors of adoption.

Conclusions:

• Early eVisit adopters exhibit distinct characteristics, indicating a specific segment of digitally engaged patients.
• Healthcare practice strategies and insurance policies play a vital role in driving eVisit utilization.
• Further research will explore patient and practice characteristics to better understand choices between eVisits and traditional visits.