Table 3.
Message category and year | Message count | Unique patients | Provider count | Messages per patient | Messages per provider | Percentage completed after hours, % | Messages per provider completed after hours | |
Physician responses to messages | ||||||||
|
2013 | 20,299 | 7441 | 133 | 2.73 | 153 | 18.8 | 29 |
|
2017 | 47,700 | 17,323 | 148 | 2.75 | 322 | 21.0 | 68 |
|
Change (%) | +135 | +133 | +11 | +1 | +110 | +11.6 | +134 |
NPa/PAbresponses to messages | ||||||||
|
2013 | 4864 | 2105 | 53 | 2.31 | 92 | 10.0 | 9 |
|
2017 | 25,772 | 11,572 | 101 | 2.23 | 255 | 19.5 | 50 |
|
Change (%) | +430 | +450 | +91 | −3 | +177 | +94 | +456 |
RNc responses to messages | ||||||||
|
2013 | 2053 | 1261 | 89 | 1.63 | 23 | 5.0 | 1 |
|
2017 | 32,904 | 16,587 | 158 | 1.98 | 208 | 3.1 | 7 |
|
Change (%) | +1503 | +1215 | +78 | +21 | +804 | −38 | +600 |
Physician-initiated messages | ||||||||
|
2013 | 36,093 | 17,691 | 133 | 2.04 | 271 | N/Ad | N/A |
|
2017 | 147,020 | 44,049 | 153 | 3.34 | 961 | N/A | N/A |
|
Change (%) | +307 | +149 | +15 | +64 | +255 | N/A | N/A |
NP/PA-initiated messages | ||||||||
|
2013 | 9095 | 2105 | 47 | 4.32 | 194 | N/A | N/A |
|
2017 | 54,872 | 9266 | 89 | 5.92 | 617 | N/A | N/A |
|
Change (%) | +503 | +340 | +89 | +37 | +218 | N/A | N/A |
RNd-initiated messages | ||||||||
|
2013 | 2119 | 1063 | 57 | 1.99 | 37 | N/A | N/A |
|
2017 | 18,278 | 11,039 | 160 | 1.66 | 114 | N/A | N/A |
|
Change (%) | +763 | +938 | +181 | −17 | +208 | N/A | N/A |
aNP: nurse practitioner.
bPA: physician assistant.
cRN: registered nurse.
dN/A: not applicable. The percentage completed after work was not applicable in the provider-initiated messages because of the high percentage of automation.