While many physicians report frustration with EHRs, Michael Pfeffer, MD, took an interest in the technology — a decision that led him down a new career path. After earning his medical
EHR
Medical Economics: Patient record transparency and the impact on physicians
Many physicians are not comfortable sharing their progress notes with patients, concerned that they will take offense, be confused and add to the practice workload by calling or emailing with questions. But under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), physicians must share their notes with patients who ask. Some physicians have embraced this…
AMDIS and OpenNotes Announce Partnership to Empower Patients
Organizations believe a fully transparent medical record is the right thing to do for patients LAKE ALMANOR, CA – The Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) and OpenNotes have announced a partnership to advance transparency in health care and enhance patient and clinician communication by inviting patients to read and engage with the…
The Washington Post Live – Cracking the Code: Optimizing Health Care
On June 14th at The Washington Post Live event “Cracking the Code: Optimizing Health Care”, lawmakers and health care professionals discussed an emerging health-care model that considers the value of care. They also debated the merits and dangers of health data for patients, industry and regulation. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a longtime physician, argued that…
Healthcare Informatics: How will the OpenNotes movement and consumerism help tip physician documentation reform into reality?
Something really interesting is happening these days around physician documentation. For years now, as patient care organizations have implemented electronic health records (EHRs), the shift from paper to electronic documentation has led to some unfortunate unintended consequences. Chief of these has been the phenomenon of “note bloat”—the electronic agglutination of physician notes and other data,…
MedScape – Patient-Generated Data: How’s a Doctor to Interpret It All?
Watch Eric J. Topol, MD; Cheryl Pegus, MD, MPH; Maurie Markman, MD, MS; Gregory R. Weidner, MD and Michael W. Smith, MD, MBA, CPT at Medscape’s Medicine 3.0: Precision Medicine and Patient Engagement. The event was held in September in New York City. During this portion of the town hall-style discussion, attendees asked questions of the expert…
The Doctor weighs in: Are Your Doctor’s Notes OpenNotes?
Ever wondered what’s in your medical record? If you have access to OpenNotes, you won’t have to wonder anymore One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is the one where Elaine sneaked a peek at her medical record after the nurse left the exam room. Reading it, she discovered that her doctor described her as a difficult patient (because she didn’t…
U.S. News & World Report: Hospitals Are Moving (Slowly) to Electronic Medical Records
by Michael Schroeder Moving hospitals out of paper records and into seamless digital connectivity has been tougher than anyone but hard-core skeptics thought seven years ago, when the federal government began pouring billions of dollars into a push to make electronic medical records the universal standard. Computerization of health care data would quickly get patients’ health information where it needs to go, improving care…
OpenNotes initiative hits 5 million patients (infographic)
The OpenNotes initiative now reaches more than 5 million patients nationwide, according to new data and an infographic released just before the long Labor Day weekend. That covers participants in all Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide, as well as private organizations in 20 states. OpenNotes started as a pilot in 2010 to give patients…
Health IT Outcomes: Open Notes Access Good For Patient Safety
The Open Notes initiative which allows patients to access their doctors’ notes in the EHR has the potential to increase safety and care quality. According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), access to the Open Notes program helps patients engage and increases their safety. “What we heard…
