OpenNotes’ Tom Delbanco and Deb Wachenheim were on hand when the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) announced a new funding opportunity for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other non-hospital health care settings in their state who want to spread OpenNotes adoption. The funding supports an effort to empower health care consumers by sharing information, promoting shared decision-making between patients and clinicians, and ensuring patients have the tools and information needed to control and actively participate in their own care.
While more than 38 million Americans currently have access to their notes, adoption of open notes in New York State has been slow. To ensure that all New Yorkers are able to have access to their own health information, OpenNotes hopes to spread to all settings in which patients receive care, especially in underserved communities. NYSHealth has supported 10 geographically dispersed hospital systems implementing OpenNotes so far and hopes this new funding will result in even greater reach.
NYSHealth has a broad mission to improve the health of New York State residents, especially the most vulnerable. To achieve meaningful impact, the Foundation makes grants, informs health care policy and practice, and spreads effective programs that work to improve New York’s health system. The Foundation’s grant-making is focused on two priority areas: Building Healthy Communities and Empowering Health Care Consumers. It also engages in responsive grant-making through its Special Projects Fund and maintains a special interest in Veterans’ Health.
Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the Foundation aims to further the spread or adoption of OpenNotes to FQHCs, multispecialty group practices, hospital-affiliated physician groups, independent physician practices, and other health care settings across New York State. The Foundation will award grants of up to $100,000 per organization in New York State interested in implementing OpenNotes at its facilities.
NYSHealth-supported initiatives to spread OpenNotes at hospital systems throughout the State are already underway; hospitals will not be eligible for funding through this RFP – “Growing OpenNotes Across New York State” (RFP here). Proposals must be completed and submitted through NYSHealth’s online application system. The deadline to submit an application is Thursday, May 2nd at 1 p.m.
