Reed ME, et al. - Researchers investigated how portal access influences the number of outpatient visits, emergency visits, and preventable hospitalizations in a population with diabetes and additional comorbid conditions (n=165,447). Patients’ visit rates with vs without portal access were determined using marginal structural modeling with inverse probability weighting estimates. They noted a correlation of access to a patient portal with significantly higher rates of outpatient office visits, in both patients with diabetes only and in patients with multiple complex conditions. This finding suggested the possibility of achieving increased engagement in outpatient visits with access to a patient portal, which may potentially address unmet clinical needs and decrease downstream health events that lead to emergency and hospital care—particularly among patients with multiple complex conditions.