As the OpenNotes movement continues to grow, a broad variety of journalists, patients and health care professionals are taking note. Even better, they’re sharing the facts, data, opinions and experiences of those sharing medical notes. See what the buzz is all about.
On April 8, we will hit a new milestone with the number of patients across the country who will soon have access to the medical notes written by their clinicians. Help us make open notes the norm by joining our first Thunderclap! Thunderclap is a great tool that allows us all to share a message on social…
Many health experts see “consumer engagement” as a key to improving quality and lowering costs. But how to get people to be more actively involved in their own care has vexed these same experts for years. Computers have unquestionably made things easier by enabling individuals, with a few clicks, to delve deeply into whatever health…
Criticism of the government’s plan to collect data from patients’ medical records to build a new NHS database—care.data—has been fast and furious. With data collection postponed amid public concern about its confidentiality the government is now fielding advice on how to get its “busted” scheme right next time round. While the research potential of analysing “big data” has…
Thanks to the computerization of medical records, the illegible scrawl of your doctor is mostly a thing of the past. Soon to be gone, too, might be the misunderstandings some patients have after they leave the doctor’s office – thanks to an initiative called OpenNotes. Pioneered in Wisconsin by the Columbia St. Mary’s health care…
“A woman in her 60s comes in for her annual physical. She feels fine. Still, there are things she’s eager to discuss with me. She’s terrified she’ll again come down with the illness that put her in the hospital a couple of years ago. Her kids are an ongoing source of stress. I turn my…
Dr. Marc Horneffer of Columbia St. Mary’s and his patient, Diane Swietzer, discuss OpenNotes on the Morning Blend:
In a classic “Seinfeld” moment from 1996, the character Elaine is waiting in the doctor’s office and peeks inside her medical chart, only to find that someone had written that she was “difficult.” The doctor walks in, grabs the file and tells Elaine, “You shouldn’t be reading that.” She questions him about that notation and…
Patients have the right under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to access their entire medical chart, including clinicians’ progress notes. But most hospitals and practices view that requirement as a burden and have set up time, cost and logistical barriers to prevent patients from seeing and obtaining copies of their own…
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