OpenNotes isn’t a product. It’s a movement that makes health care more open and transparent by encouraging doctors and other professionals to share their visit notes. Reading your notes can help you manage your health care. Ask your doctor for them!
Get Access
Your notes are about you. Being able to read them is not a privilege. It is a federally protected right. Today, more than 50 million people can read their notes when and where they want. We’re working hard for the day when all patients can do the same.
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Gain New Insight
Studies show that most patients remember less than half of what they discuss with their medical professionals. To make sure you don’t miss important information, open notes give you the opportunity to review the details of your visit at any time. Above all, open notes help you make sure that you and your health care team are always on the same page.
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Engage More Actively
The more connected you are to your health care team, the more actively you can manage your health. Reading your notes is a good way to get a better sense of what your doctor or nurse is thinking, so you can feel more confident, prepared and in control.
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Share Information Confidentially, on Your Terms
Your open notes can be shared, but they’re still confidential. Doctors, nurses, and all health care professionals operate under strict confidentiality rules, which are unchanged by open notes. You can share your medical information with family members, care partners, or health professionals beyond your regular health care team, but only if and when you wish.
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Take Control of Your Health Care
Information is power. Access to your medical information can help you ask better questions and make more confident decisions about your health. Whether you’re reviewing your treatment plan or thinking through different care options, the ability to read, review, and refer back to your notes makes it easier for you and care professionals to make informed, thoughtful decisions. Having access to what your doctor writes deepens the trust between you and your health care team. It’s a win-win.
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Share Access with Care Partners
Are you caring for your parents, children or others? Do you rely on assistance for your own care? Either way, sharing notes, online or on paper, makes it easier to help the people who depend on care partners. It’s also a handy resource for people who have trouble understanding their notes, aren’t fluent in English, or don’t have access to the Internet.
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Make Your Care Safer
Open notes can make health care safer. By reviewing your notes, you can identify mistakes and make sure your record is accurate. After leaving your doctor’s office, open notes clarify what you’re supposed to do between visits and help you understand your medications. Your notes also remind you to make follow up appointments and schedule preventive tests, such as mammograms and colonoscopies.
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Contribute to Your Notes
Looking ahead, we envision taking open notes even further. At times, we expect you and your health professional will profit if you co-produce the notes. We call this ‘OurNotes’. We’re exploring how you might bring important information to your own health record, such as adding your medical and personal history, writing notes about how you’ve done between visits, describing what you’d like to talk about at an upcoming appointment, and more.
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The Tools You Need
The Reading Your Notes toolkit gives you examples of notes, and helps you with questions to ask, including information to share with your care team if you're not yet able to access your notes.
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