Following the introduction of electronic medical records (EMR software) and electronic health records (EHR software), the use of patient portals has become increasingly popular in healthcare organizations of all sizes and specialties. You may be wondering, “What is a patient portal and what does it do?” While it may seem obvious that these portals allow patients access to their medical information, it’s important to remember that patient portal software is used to improve the quality of care provided while enabling greater communication between physicians and their patients.