Enhancing primary care through online communication.

The effective delivery of primary care requires more frequent information exchange and communication than the typical office visit allows. Although industry leaders endorse health information technology (IT) to improve health outcomes and reduce costs, there has been less attention devoted to the use of this technology to deliver care. Using Internet-based technologies such as secure messaging, videoconferencing, and remote physiological monitoring can provide information to improve the patient-provider relationship and the quality of health care. Evidence has shown that patients and providers are willing to use these care delivery technologies. However, their success will require integration with electronic health records and payment models that support their implementation and growth.