by Tom Delbanco and Jan Walker
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has taken an important step in launching the first national effort to give consumers electronic access to their laboratory results. We certainly agree with the secretary that “When it comes to health, information is power.”
But at a time when all Americans are increasingly relying on electronic technologies to access information they need to make important decisions, we urge the government, other payers, clinicians and consumers to move even further forward. If consumers are to become truly active partners in their own healthcare, they should be able to retrieve their personal medical information readily, including their doctors’ notes. As doctors and hospitals increasingly use information technologies to embrace transparency and information-sharing, let’s move toward “open notes” and adopt them proactively and eagerly, rather than with mumbling and grumbling.
Read the full Modern Healthcare article here.
