We sat down with Sigall Bell, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, to learn why she thinks sharing notes with patients is a critical safety intervention. Dr. Bell leads the OpenNotes Patient Safety Initiative, a multi-site study examining relationships among OpenNotes and safety outcomes. How did you get involved with OpenNotes?
Stories
A Note From the Director: February 2019
As we begin 2019, we are glad to report that more than 36 million Americans can access their visit notes through patient portals. But that’s only 10% of the U.S. population. It does look as if “rules” that are emerging from the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act passed two years ago will help stimulate further
Partnerships: 28 New Health Systems Are Now Sharing Notes
Welcome to our newest partners! 28 new health systems have joined the movement since July. Visit our map to see if your health system is sharing notes. AdvocateAuroraHealth Penn Medicine Auburn University Medical Clinic Regional Health Contra Costa Health Services Rochester Regional Health EvergreenHealth Sansum Clinic Fairview Health Services Sharp Rees-Stealy HealthEast Care System St.
Countdown to the New Year: Top 10 of 2018
by OpenNotes It’s been a remarkable year for OpenNotes! In 2018, the number of health systems sharing notes and the number of patients with access to notes has continued to rise. We’re excited by the momentum OpenNotes is gaining, but there’s still plenty of work ahead. Here are ten highlights from 2018 that have us
Improving Patient Access to Notes on Patient Portals: An OpenNotes White Paper
Download the full white paper: Implementing OpenNotes: Improving patient access to notes on patient portals. At institutions or practices that have joined the OpenNotes movement and invite their patients to read their clinicians’ notes, an important question that arises is: How many patients actually read the notes they are invited to review? This report provides
Liz Salmi – Quality Talks 2018
At an age when her peers were in school, Liz Salmi was touring the country as the drummer in a punk rock band. When others her age were launching careers and starting families, she was confronting a life-threatening illness. She approached that illness with a curiosity and creativity that has put her at the forefront
Top Five Reasons OpenNotes Should Be Your Next Patient Safety Project
Identify documentation errors. Medical records are prone to errors, including dosing, inactive or non-updated medications. Providers may manage thousands of charts, while patients review one: their own. They may be more likely to catch a mistake because they are most familiar with their own medications, history, family history, etc. Help patients remember. Clinic visits
OpenNotes for Pediatric and Adolescent Patients
OpenNotes Explained: It’s Okay to Ask
Helping Caregivers Help Patients
By Hannah Chimowitz, BA & Sigall K. Bell, MD – posted first on The Joint Commission Blog
An estimated 43.5 million adults in the United States provide unpaid care to an adult or child for an average of 24.4 hours each week.1 More than half of these caregivers also work full time.2 Because patients supported by caregivers are elderly, frail, or chronically ill, informal caregiving represents a subset of health care interactions that are particularly complex, prone to errors, and costly.
