We support the ASTP/ONC efforts to provide regulatory clarification and protections for those patients and their clinicians whereby “information blocking exceptions for electronic health information (EHI) related to reproductive health care during interoperable exchanges” should be allowed.
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Leveraging an EHR patient portal to help patients formulate their healthcare goals: A mixed methods evaluation of pilot interventions
This study tested self-directed tools for older adults with chronic conditions to identify healthcare priorities. Website engagement was low, but 26% completed an Epic previsit questionnaire. Most found it helpful, and physicians noted it facilitated end-of-life care discussions. Embedding these tools may improve priority-aligned care.
Sarabu on HIMSS TV: How AI is “Enabling a New Level of Patient Empowerment”
While attending the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) meeting in Boston, Chethan Sarabu, MD, was invited to share how generative AI and large language models (LLMs) can offer patients new tools to help them navigate and understand their healthcare journeys, from diagnosis to treatment.
OpenNotes Leader in Behavioral Health Receives NASW-MA Lifetime Achievement Award
We’re thrilled to announce that Steve O’Neill, LICSW, BCD, JD, has been honored with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-MA). This recognition celebrates Steve’s extraordinary contributions to social work, bioethics, patient care, and transparency in healthcare.
The Importance of Shared Access Features in Online Patient Portals: Insights from Recent Research
Patient portals are vital tools for managing health information, providing patients with direct access to medical records, lab results, and communication with healthcare providers. However, two recent publications suggest their full potential is not realized until these portals support shared access for care partners, allowing them to participate in a patient’s healthcare securely and effectively.
OpenNotes gets boost from McGovern Foundation for AI in patient care
The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) has awarded a $200,000 grant to OpenNotes to investigate how artificial intelligence (AI) can further propel health information transparency and open communication between patients and their clinicians. This funding initiates exploration into the evolving landscape of AI in healthcare by focusing on how patients use and comprehend clinical documentation.
Gaps in the coordination of care for people living with dementia
This study examines care coordination breakdowns reported by patients living with dementia (PLWD) or their care partners. Interventions to improve communication across different care teams are needed to minimize the harmful effects of gaps in care coordination.
When bad news comes through the portal: Strengthening trust and guiding patients when they receive bad results before their clinicians
In this chapter, perspectives from a patient with cancer, an oncologist, and a cancer psychiatrist (in that order) are shared to illuminate the adjustments made in clinician-patient communication amid the era of nearly instantaneous results within the electronic health record.
Shared access to patient portals for older adults: Implications for privacy and digital health equity
This viewpoint article discusses challenges and opportunities of systematic engagement of care partners through shared access to the patient portal that have been amplified in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak and recent implementation of federal information blocking rules to promote information transparency alongside broader shifts toward care delivery innovation and population aging. We describe implementation considerations and the promise of granular, role-based privacy controls in addressing the nuanced and dynamic nature of individual information sharing preferences and fostering person- and family-centered care delivery.
Negative Patient Descriptors: Documenting Racial Bias In The Electronic Health Record
We found that Black patients at an urban academic medical center had disproportionately higher odds of negative patient descriptors appearing in the history and physical notes of their EHRs compared with White patients. This difference may indicate implicit racial bias not only among individual providers but also among the broader beliefs and attitudes maintained by the health care system. Such bias has the potential to stigmatize Black patients and possibly compromise their care, raising concerns about systemic racism in health care.