Patient Portals: Essential, but Underused by Physicians Patient Portals: Essential, but Underused by Physicians Terry, Ken 2015-05-01 00:00:00 Many physicians regard patient portals as just another hoop they have to jump through to get their electronic health record (EHR) incentives and/or avoid Medicare penalties. But that view can be short-sighted, consultants say, if practices neglect ....