Table 1. Baseline characteristics of portal users and non-users from 2018 to 2019.
| Total ( N = 178,720) | Portal user ( N = 57,122) | Portal non-user ( N = 121,598) | p -Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| 18–44 | 48,043 (26.9%) | 18,167 (37.8%) | 29,876 (62.2%) | |
| 45–64 | 72,114 (40.4%) | 24,420 (33.9%) | 47,694 (66.1%) | |
| ≥65 | 58,563 (32.8%) | 14,535 (24.8%) | 44,028 (75.2%) | |
| Sex, n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| Female | 104,604 (58.5%) | 36,565 (35.0%) | 68,039 (65.0%) | |
| Male | 74,116 (41.5%) | 20,557 (27.7%) | 53,559 (72.3%) | |
| Ethnicity and race, n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| Non-Hispanic White | 137,768 (77.1%) | 47,189 (34.3%) | 90,579 (65.7%) | |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 26,704 (14.9%) | 6,383 (23.9%) | 20,321 (76.1%) | |
| Hispanic | 6,577 (3.7%) | 1,401 (21.3%) | 5,176 (78.7%) | |
| Other | 7,671 (4.3%) | 2,149 (28.0%) | 5,522 (72.0%) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| Married | 104,424 (58.4%) | 37,452 (35.9%) | 66,972 (64.1%) | |
| Separated, widowed, divorced | 32,661 (18.3%) | 8,406 (25.7%) | 24,255 (74.3%) | |
| Single | 41,635 (23.3%) | 11,264 (27.1%) | 30,371 (72.9%) | |
| Primary health insurance, n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| Commercial | 89,135 (49.9%) | 34,486 (38.7%) | 54,649 (61.3%) | |
| Medicare | 70,068 (39.2%) | 18,199 (26.0%) | 51,869 (74.0%) | |
| Public (Medicaid, Tricare) | 10,063 (5.6%) | 2,438 (24.2%) | 7,625 (75.8%) | |
| Self-pay | 9,454 (5.3%) | 1,999 (21.1%) | 7,455 (78.9%) | |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| 0 | 91,031 (50.9%) | 28,002 (30.8%) | 63,029 (69.2%) | |
| 1–2 | 54,090 (30.3%) | 17,948 (33.2%) | 36,142 (66.8%) | |
| 3–4 | 16,077 (9.0%) | 5,062 (31.5%) | 11,015 (68.5%) | |
| ≥5 | 17,522 (9.8%) | 6,110 (34.9%) | 11,412 (65.1%) | |
| Median household income b , n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| < $42,721 | 45,882 (25.7%) | 10,666 (23.2%) | 35,216 (76.8%) | |
| $42,721–$51,249 | 43,475 (24.3%) | 13,178 (30.3%) | 30,297 (69.7%) | |
| $51,250–$64,329 | 44,706 (25.0%) | 13,850 (31.0%) | 30,856 (69.0%) | |
| ≥$64,330 | 44,657 (25.0%) | 19,428 (43.5%) | 25,229 (56.5%) | |
| Percentage bachelor's degree or higher 2% , n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| < 15.1 | 44,407 (24.8%) | 9,691 (21.8%) | 34,716 (78.2%) | |
| 15.1–21.6 | 45,069 (25.2%) | 12,036 (26.7%) | 33,033 (73.3%) | |
| 21.7–37.4 | 44,624 (25.0%) | 15,109 (33.9%) | 29,515 (66.1%) | |
| ≥37.5 | 44,620 (25.0%) | 20,286 (45.5%) | 24,334 (54.5%) | |
| Percentage unemployed 2% , n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| < 2.4 | 44,201 (24.7%) | 14,853 (33.6%) | 29,348 (66.4%) | |
| 2.4–4.6 | 45,101 (25.2%) | 15,828 (35.1%) | 29,273 (64.9%) | |
| 4.7–6.7 | 45,767 (25.6%) | 14,194 (31.0%) | 31,573 (69.0%) | |
| ≥6.8 | 43,651 (24.4%) | 12,247 (28.1%) | 31,404 (71.9%) | |
| Primary care visits c , n (%) | <0.001 a | |||
| 2 | 32,402 (18.1%) | 8,677 (26.8%) | 23,725 (73.2%) | |
| 3–4 | 52,239 (29.2%) | 16,566 (31.7%) | 35,673 (68.3%) | |
| 5–6 | 49,443 (27.7%) | 16,877 (34.1%) | 32,566 (65.9%) | |
| ≥7 | 44,636 (25.0%) | 15,002 (33.6%) | 29,634 (66.4%) |
Note: A patient was defined as a portal user if they used any one of four bidirectional portal functions during the study period: (1) sent an appointment request message; (2) sent a medication renewal request message; (3) sent a medical advice message; and (4) directly scheduled an appointment.
a
Chi-square p -value.
b
Sourced from American Community Survey census block group and 5-digit zip code estimates.
c
Primary care visits at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019.