What Is CereCore Connect & Collaborate?
CereCore Connect & Collaborate is a peer-learning series that brings together healthcare leaders and subject matter experts to share real-world strategies for getting more from their technology investments. This session focused on MEDITECH's Patient & Consumer Health Portal and was led by Brandon McMorrow and Kevin Weeks from MEDITECH Professional Services at CereCore.
What Are the Business Benefits of MEDITECH Patient Portal Optimization?
Organizations using portal features strategically are seeing measurable results:
- 25-35% accelerated collections through online bill pay
- 30-40% reduction in no-shows with online scheduling and reminders
- 50-60% fewer refill-related phone calls with automated renewals
The portal now offers 80+ features. The challenge is not availability. It is making sure the right workflows and governance are in place to support each feature.
What Key Features Were Covered?
- Scheduling: Expanse supports both direct booking and appointment requests with separate controls by appointment type, location and provider. The key is making sure patients understand whether they have a confirmed appointment or a request pending review.
- Digital Intake: Patients can update demographics, upload insurance cards and complete questionnaires before their visit. Staff must review and consume each update into Expanse, so organizations need clear ownership of that process.
- Secure Messaging: The most requested feature and the most complex. Organizations need to define inbox ownership, response time expectations, triage workflows and escalation protocols before turning it on. The portal should never be positioned as a channel for emergencies.
- Patient Connect: MEDITECH's texting capability supports automated reminders, two-way appointment confirmations and pre-visit instructions in more than 100 languages. Responses flow back into Expanse, giving staff earlier visibility into schedule changes.
What New Enhancements Should Organizations Know About?
- Age of Majority: A recent Expanse enhancement that automatically manages the transition in portal access when a patient reaches the legal age of adulthood. This replaces what was previously a manual process. Organizations should involve HIM, legal and patient access teams before implementation.
- Pre-Visit Surgical Questionnaires: Surgical services can send questionnaires and consent forms to the portal ahead of a procedure, reducing day-of paperwork by up to 35%.
- Staff AI Copilot and Conversation Flows: Upcoming MEDITECH capabilities including message translation, content summarization and automated outreach for no-show follow-ups and satisfaction surveys. Contact your MEDITECH Patient Connect specialist to confirm availability and timing.
What Are the Best Practices for Portal Optimization?
- Establish a Patient Experience Committee with cross-departmental representation including IT, HIM, registration, clinical teams and billing
- Embed a feedback link directly in the portal and assign someone to review and respond
- Create login tutorials and link them from your website and portal communications
- Encourage staff advocacy. Research shows a direct correlation between how often care teams mention the portal and how frequently patients engage with it
Continue the Conversation with CereCore
CereCore's MEDITECH practice has supported 300+ deployments with 10+ consecutive years of 5-star MEDITECH hosting certification. If you are exploring or optimizing your patient portal, our team would welcome the conversation.