OpenNotes is pleased to announce the launch of a new patient-facing resource, How to Use Open Notes. How To Use Open Notes aims to fulfill needs expressed by healthcare professionals for tools that facilitate discussions among patients, their families and clinicians about notes written in medical records (“open notes”).

OpenNotes partnered with The Light Collective—a national patient advocacy organization—to jointly submit public comment to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on the Proposed HTI-1 Rule on Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability.

In 2023, NYHealth selected 14 non-hospital systems from across the state for grants totaling nearly $800,000 to support them in sharing open notes effectively with patients. NYHealth has long supported the spread of open notes throughout New York State. Most recently, in response to the note-sharing mandate, NYHealth supported a cohort of 16 hospitals to go from good to great in their note-sharing and associated patient engagement.

Last week, Liz Salmi, a brain tumor patient, health services researcher, and a nationally-recognized patient advocate, delivered a compelling address at the White House Forum on Glioblastoma (GBM) & Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), underscoring the importance of transparency in healthcare and its positive impact on patients.

Lala: “OpenNotes is uniquely positioned to help society harness the immense benefits that come with people having easier access to their medical records.”

This article reviews the key aspects of confidentiality protections in adolescent health care, explains the ONC Rule, outlines clinical, HIT, and equity challenges associated with its implementation, encourages the development of policies protecting the confidentiality of adolescents’ EHI [ ... ] and offers tools for analyzing key questions in individual cases and practical steps to address the confidentiality of EHI with patients and parents.

People with diabetes want to read their clinicians’ notes, are accessing them at high rates, and report understanding the notes and benefiting from reading them. Clinicians can encourage further engagement by enhancing the readability of notes and discussing the availability of notes with patients.

The new regulatory requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act provide a valuable opportunity to involve patients more actively in the documentation and telling of their own story of ethical complexity. Healthcare systems should take advantage of this new era and use open notes as a way to improve CECs documentation and, ultimately, patient care.

Since 2021, Americans have been guaranteed full and immediate access to their own health records. Joanne Silberner asks if this has helped or hindered treatment.