Patient engagement is a phrase that is everywhere now. It is part of the vernacular in advocacy circles, government, health technology companies, and payers. It used to signal a new healthcare ecosystem in which the patient is more of a spotlighted consumer; where reimbursement hinges on patient satisfaction, where the shortage of physicians dictates new care paradigms, and where the cost of healthcare must decrease as well as be redirected to wellness and home care from the more expensive treatments of preventable chronic diseases and institutional care. The Center for Advancing Health defines patient engagement as “actions individuals must take to obtain the greatest benefit from the health care services available to them.”  It is defined by an active role that patients play in their own care.

According to the National eHealth Collaborative, the Five Phases of the Patient Engagement Framework consists of:

1. INFORM ME
2. ENGAGE ME
3. EMPOWER ME
4. PARTNER…