Patient portal messages doubled since 2020, study finds, underscoring challenges to physician workloads

Fierce Healthcare – Monday, June 22, 2026
By Heather Landi

Online portal messages sent to providers more than doubled between 2020 and 2025 as patients now have much more direct access to physicians. But there hasn’t been a corresponding drop-off in clinic visits as digital medicine is adding to clinicians’ workload rather than replacing in-person care, a new study finds.

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