Learn more on the Blog @ http://ipatientcare.com/blog/why-we-need-patient-engagement-strategies/ The providers are keen on maintaining their relationship and engagement with the patients and are investing heavily in using patient portals. To ensure that the patient portal works well, providers should consider the following: 1. Identify the needs of the patient population: A cardiologist who is helping to manage heart disease will use the tool to facilitate conversation and answer questions via secure messaging. 2. Leverage useful features: Patients must be familiar with the features available on the patient portal so that they can use it to their advantage. For example, patients with medication refill need should know the prescription requests function on the patient portal to efficiently receive the medicines. 3. Establish the follow-up reminders: Must reach out to the patients periodically to stay on top of their care. 4. Establish the business case for the patient portal: A patient who is visiting the clinician only once will not actively use the portal unless he/she falls ill again. In other words, if a patient already has a portal account with a certain physical therapist, she could more likely visit the clinic if she injures her shoulder again. In addition to this, specialists often rely on a suite of connected health tools to drive patient engagement. Learn more on the Blog @ http://ipatientcare.com/blog/why-we-need-patient-engagement-strategies/