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What health IT affects patient outcomes, experiences the most?

Although the EHR is widely considered the most impactful health IT on patient outcomes, telehealth is emerging as a key tool to meet increasing patient demands.

Sara Heath
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Published: 16 Jul 2025

Health IT solutions such as the EHR, telehealth platforms, practice management software and patient portals are having the biggest impact on patient outcomes, stressing the importance of patient engagement technologies, according to a new AdvancedMD report obtained via email.

Of the 206 medical practice leaders surveyed for the report, 167 have implemented an EHR, 110 use practice management software and 107 offer patient portal access. These technologies are also among the most useful and impactful for improving patient outcomes, although telehealth is also in the mix.

While the EHR has overwhelmingly had the biggest impact on patient outcomes (87 respondents saying as much), the report authors said, telehealth came in second place (35 respondents saying as much). Of note, respondents could not select multiple technologies as having the most impact on outcomes.

This finding is notable, considering that telehealth doesn't crack the top three most-implemented patient care technologies. However, the AdvancedMD researchers indicated this finding could be indicative of what lies ahead for telehealth utilization, as more healthcare organizations seek to meet consumer demands.

"Our survey findings reinforce what we've seen unfold within the ambulatory care space over the last five years: Telehealth not only provides flexibility and convenience for patients -- it's a fundamental component of the patient experience that has a significant impact on patient outcomes," Amanda Sharp, CEO of AdvancedMD, said in a press release.

"It's clear that providers are favoring care delivery models to meet rising patient expectations," Sharp continued. "As patient demands evolve and become more consumer-driven, the practice leaders who invest in integrated technology solutions will be better positioned to thrive with tools that can deliver personalized, accessible care to patients no matter who they are or where they live."

Indeed, two-thirds of respondents said patient expectations for better experiences have increased in the past year. Tapping technologies such as telehealth could be a key response to rising consumer demand, the data indicated.

EHRs lend themselves to personalized patient care

As noted above, EHRs were regarded as among the most impactful health IT for patient outcomes, likely because they enable more personalized care.

A total of 69% of respondents said they use the EHR to personalize patient care plans or provide "just-in-time" care capabilities, the survey authors said. Another 6% said they plan to do so in the future.

“The fact that an overwhelming majority of the healthcare professionals we surveyed are using their EHR to develop personalized, just-in-time treatments demonstrates just how effective these solutions are,” Sharp remarked.

For 39% of respondents, patient health histories are most important for informing personalized care plans, followed by patient-reported outcomes (34%). Just under a fifth (17%) of respondents said they use social determinants of health data for personalized care, while 10% said they use genomic data.

Additionally, 60% of healthcare professionals said they use data analytics to identify trends to inform patient care.

Updated tech stacks key to patient outcomes

Although respondents indicated that some technologies are better than others at boosting patient outcomes, the report authors stressed that the overall technology stack is integral to practice success.

According to the survey, 70% of medical practice leaders think their current stack has had a positive influence on patient outcomes, with more than half (53%) of respondents saying technology mostly improves mental health outcomes.

Even still, there are areas for healthcare organizations to improve.

As noted above, two-thirds of practice leaders said their patients are demanding more in terms of communication, bill pay and care delivery models. This might indicate a need for more digitized, self-service options, but organizations aren't all-in on those, yet.

For example, 66% of practice leaders said their patients primarily book appointments by calling the clinic. Only 16% said their patients use self-scheduling options on the patient portal, and even fewer (12%) said their patients can send a text to their provider to book an appointment. Around 6% of respondents said their patients use an online appointment scheduling tool.

"While phone calls remain the dominant scheduling method for many private practices, modern healthcare demands providers offer multiple communication channels to meet varying patient demands, including self-scheduling tools, patient portals and online platforms," the report authors said. "Practices that blend traditional phone availability with digital capabilities can accommodate diverse patient preferences and improve operational efficiency -- ensuring patient satisfaction stays high for all patients."

Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.

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