Patient portals provide secure online access for patients to view health information, communicate with healthcare providers, refill prescriptions, and schedule appointments. Studies show using patient portals can increase medication adherence by at least 6%. However, currently only 5-7% of patients access portals. As meaningful use requirements increase engagement between patients and providers, the importance of patient portals is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. Portals need more educational content for patients and increased promotion to providers and patients to improve adoption rates. In the future, mobile apps may largely replace traditional portals by providing more engagement features to actively involve patients in their care.