537 - Empowering Patients: What Changes When Patients Have Access to Their Own Health Records?

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with Jane Thompson, Chief Product Officer at MediRecords, and Dr. Max Mollenkopf, a GP and practice owner in Newcastle.

The discussion explores the evolving landscape of patient empowerment through access to their own health records, the impact of technology on general practice, and how MediRecords is shaping both the clinician and patient experience.

The episode covers the challenges and opportunities in digitising healthcare workflows, the changing expectations of consumers, and the development of patient portals as a bridge between clinicians and their patients.

Key Takeaways:

👩‍💻 Patient empowerment and engagement are becoming increasingly important, with younger, digitally-savvy patients expecting more access and control over their health information.

🏥 Traditional general practice models are under pressure from new customer-centred digital solutions and changing funding structures.

🖥️ MediRecords is developing and delivering a patient portal, Engage, that allows patients to access appointments, results, documents, and to-do lists assigned by their GP.

🔍 Data transparency and default sharing of lab results, referral letters, and clinical notes enhance patient experience and continuity of care.

🩺 Technology must serve both clinicians and patients, requiring solutions that streamline clinician workflows while also delivering value and usability to patients.

📃 Uptake of digital solutions like Engage is strong when patients see immediate, clear value, such as access to their own records for sharing with healthcare teams.

📈 Efficiency, productivity, and removing friction from administrative tasks are critical for independent clinics to thrive.

👩‍⚕️ The healthcare landscape is shifting, with more competition, consumer awareness, and an increasing need for innovative, validated health data integrations, such as wearable device tracking and AI-enabled workflows.

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.

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