Reports: Patient portal business to jump; already considered 'must have' tech

The U.S. patient portal market is expected to increase by 221 percent, reaching $898.4 million by 2017, up from $279.8 million last year, according to a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan.

According to the report, the majority of revenue will result from:

• Greater consumer interest in health IT;
• Increased demand to meet Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements; and
• The industry transitioning to clinical integration and accountable care.

The report found that almost half of hospitals currently possess patient portal technology, compared with about 40 percent of ambulatory practices.

A report from KLAS Research found that patient portals are now a "must have" technology for physicians and hospitals. The survey of more than 200 healthcare providers found that:

• 95 percent of respondents said their patient portals include data from ambulatory EHRs;
• 33 percent said their portals include data from inpatient EHRs;
• 14 percent said their portals include information from health information exchanges; and
• 11 percent said their portals include data from other EHRs.

However, the survey found that many patient portals do not meet providers' needs in areas such as patient engagement.