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"The Effect of Patient Portals on Quality Outcomes and Its Implications to Meaningful Use: A Systematic Review" is a systematic review article by kruse et al.<ref name="patient portal">Kruse, C. S., Bolton, K., & Freriks, G. (2015). The Effect of Patient Portals on Quality Outcomes and Its Implications to Meaningful Use: A Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(2), e44. http://doi.org.ezproxyhost.library.tmc.edu/10.2196/jmir.3171</ref>

==Introduction==
An ePHR that directly links, or is “tethered”, to an EHR is most commonly referred to as a [[patient portal|Patient Portal]].The ownership of a patient portal distinguishes it from a personal health record ([[PHR]]); while the [[PHR]] is owned and managed by the patient, a patient portal is owned and managed by the health care organization.In general, patient information from the EHR such as the problem list, allergies, and lab test results populate the patient portal. In some instances, patients may enter data to populate the EHR. A main advantage of the patient portal is that the data are current, while the data in the [[PHR]] are current only when the patient updates it.The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act imposes pressure on health care organizations to qualify for [[Meaningful Use|“Meaningful Use”]]. The purpose of this systemic review is to outline and summarize study results on the effect of patient portals on quality, or chronic-condition outcomes as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and its implications to Meaningful Use since the beginning of 2011.<ref name="patient portal">Kruse, C. S., Bolton, K., & Freriks, G. (2015). The Effect of Patient Portals on Quality Outcomes and Its Implications to Meaningful Use: A Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17(2), e44. http://doi.org.ezproxyhost.library.tmc.edu/10.2196/jmir.3171</ref>

==Method==
The authors performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Over 4000 articles were considered out of which 27 articles were analyzed. They examined studies which evaluated relationships between use of patient portals and their outcomes.

==Results==
Very few studies showed improvement in medical outcomes due to patient portals. However, 37% of papers reported improvements in medication adherence, disease awareness, self-management of disease, a decrease of office visits, an increase in preventative medicine, and an increase in extended office visits. 

==Conclusion==
This review identified several clinical and administrative improvements that qualify as quality, as defined by the AHRQ and HRSA. Meaningful Use incentives outlined by the HITECH Act provide money to health care organizations for specific adoption and use of HIT. Features of a patient portal would help organizations meet some of the qualifications for the incentives.

==Comments==
Few organizations have implemented patient portals successfully. Wide spread implementation of patient portals by numerous medical organizations have been occurring recently, in order to qualify for meaningful use. Therefore, improvement in medical outcomes due to patient portals must be measured after several years of patient portal use by various organizations.

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Reviews]]
[[Category:PHR]]
[[Category:Meaningful Use]]
[[Category:Quality of Care]]
[[Category:HI5313-2015-FALL]]