Patient Portals
Patient portals give patients safe and secure online access to their personal health information and the ability to manage aspects of their own health care. They also can help patients and clinical teams interact in a more meaningful way to create better patient outcomes.
The provincial service standards and implementation guide together help Ontario health care organizations select and implement digital patient portal solutions or expand existing patient portal programs.
This material was developed as part of the province’s Digital First for Health strategy, in consultation with the Ministry of Health, health care providers, patients and others.
Funding for Patient Portal Programs
We fund the following groups to implement new patient portal programs or scale existing patient portal programs across the province:
- Ontario Health regions
- Ontario Health Teams
- Ontario Health Teams (In Development)
- Other health care organizations
The objectives of this funding are to:
- Introduce new safe and secure means for more Ontarians to access their personal health information, or expand the reach or functionality of an existing patient portal solution
- Provide patients or delegates timely access to personal health information from two or more health sectors
- Increase patient engagement through improved digital patient access channels (e.g., educational materials, virtual care)
Patient Portal Provincial Service Standards
This document outlines standards that are mandatory, recommended, and those for future consideration. The purpose of the standards is to help Ontario Health regions, Ontario Health Teams, and other health care organizations, facilitate the expansion or selection and implementation of digital patient portal solutions.
View the Patient Portal Provincial Service Standards (PDF)
Patient Portal Provincial Implementation Guide
This guide is for health care organizations, including Ontario Health Teams, seeking to implement a patient portal. It supports an organization’s education and decision-making before procuring and implementing a patient portal solution.
View the Patient Portal Provincial Implementation Guide (PDF)