More than half of all healthcare providers in the U.S. are now using patient portal technology, according to a new report conducted by KLAS.

After interviewing providers from health systems, hospitals and clinics, authors of "Patient Portals: the Path of Least Resistance" found that 57 percent of providers are currently using a patient portal solution.

Officials say the numbers come in the wake of the anticipation surrounding Stage 2 meaningful use requirements released August 2012. One provision included in the final rule mandates that providers have at least five percent of their patients using on online patient portal in order for the clinician to qualify for meaningful use incentive payments. In the preliminary Stage 2 rule, that number was previously pegged at 10 percent.

Report findings also show the majority of providers are opting for electronic medical record vendors for their portal solutions. Systems from Cerner, Epic, Intuit Health, Jardogs, MEDSEEK, Next Gen and Relay Health are among the most often selected.

Epic's portal solution MyChart, however, leads the group as the most widely used portal among providers, the report shows.

Participants in the KLAS report were predominately chief information officers (33 percent), IT directors or managers (29 percent) and other C-level executives (18 percent).

This story will be updated.