Many experts believe that getting patients more involved in their own care is going to be a key to generating improvements in the healthcare system. The model enables individuals to take more responsibility for their own health and helps them rely less on doctors, which leads to lower costs and better outcomes.

A central component of getting patients more involved is the patient portal. This is a service that individuals can access that integrates with physicians' electronic health record systems. When a patient has up-to-date and accurate information about their health, they are more likely to take the necessary steps to improve their well-being.

"The patient portal fundamentally changes the way patients engage in their care and the way practices operate," said Evan Steele, CEO of the EHR vendor SRS, which recently partnered with a company that designs patient portals to bring a new generation of the technology to its clients.

He added that the tool would allow practices to enhance their quality of care while also focusing on individual patients. Combined with the fact that patient portals enable individuals to care for themselves, this could lead to significant gains in treatment outcomes.