Utilization of Secure Messaging to Primary Care Departments.

The Permanente Journal
Jose YakushiEdwin Solorzano

Abstract

Secure messaging is a platform for email communication between patients and their physicians. Although patient-generated emails are associated with increased use of clinical services, greater member retention, and improved quality of care, secure messaging has a marked impact on primary care physicians' workload. To understand how the email topic and volume vary by demographics and clinical factors among members of a managed care organization. We analyzed all secure messages sent to primary care departments by adult members of Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) in 2017. Members with a higher volume of office visits and telephone appointment visits generated a higher volume of emails to primary care physician. Members with a Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services Hierarchical Condition Category diagnosis history sent 3 times as many emails as those without such a diagnosis history. Women accounted for nearly two-thirds of emails despite making up only half of the KPSC member population. Less than one-fourth (21.4%) of members sent 2.3 million total emails to their physician. Medical advice was the most common reason for sending secure messages (24.7%) in a sample studied (n = 2397). These findings confirm the need f...Continue Reading

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