• Naleef Fareed, Sarah R MacEwan, Shonda Vink, Pallavi Jonnalagadda, and Ann Scheck McAlearney.
• CATALYST, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 460 Medical Center Dr, Ste 502, Columbus, OH 43210. Email: Naleef.Fareed@osumc.edu.
• Am J Manag Care. 2022 Jan 1; 28 (1): 25-31.

ObjectivesPatient portals are health information technology tools that offer patients access to their personal health information and a means to communicate with health care providers, but little is known about their impact on patient satisfaction. Identifying factors that increase patient satisfaction may improve patient care and can protect health care providers from financial penalties. Our study sought to investigate how patient portals are associated with patient satisfaction in both inpatient and outpatient settings.Study DesignRetrospective, pooled cross-sectional study.MethodsData from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CG-CAHPS) and Hospital CAHPS (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction surveys were linked to inpatient and outpatient portal account status at a large academic medical center. Using fractional logistic regression, we investigated the relationship between patient satisfaction survey scores and patient portal activation.ResultsPatients with an activated outpatient portal account reported higher patient satisfaction across a subset of the CG-CAHPS dimensions, and patients with an activated inpatient portal account reported higher patient satisfaction across a subset of the HCAHPS dimensions, compared with patients without the respective portal accounts.ConclusionsOur study suggests the potential for patient portals to enhance patient satisfaction, especially in areas such as care coordination and care transitions. In both inpatient and outpatient settings, portal use may improve the patient-centeredness of care. Our findings indicate important considerations for both health care organizations and their patients to promote patient portal use as a means of improving patient satisfaction, especially in the context of potential impacts on reimbursement and reputation.

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