OpenNotes: Expanding patient access to clinical notes Increase medical record transparency through OpenNotes

What is OpenNotes? OpenNotes is a national initiative working to give patients access to their visit notes and improve transparency of the medical record. The initiative is a free process for sharing clinician notes that is available through several electronic health record (EHR) platforms. It encourages and invites patients, families and physicians to come together to improve communication.

OpenNotes has provided more than 12 million patients with access to their notes online. After using OpenNotes, 99% of patients and more than 75% of physicians wanted OpenNotes to continue.

What are the benefits of sharing visit notes? Improved patient communication and education Improved patient-physician relationship Increased engagement by patients and sense of control over their own care Patients’ caregivers Patients’ are better able to optimize care Improved patient safety

Six steps to increasing patient access to clinical notes through OpenNotes Make the case for OpenNotes in your organization Plan what OpenNotes will look like in your practice Prepare your practice Adapt documentation style as needed Learn to handle challenging topics in an OpenNotes environment Collect patient and clinician feedback about OpenNotes to refine your approach

Tools/Resources available to your practice Sample OpenNotes introductory letter/email for patients Sample OpenNotes FAQ for patients Sample OpenNotes introductory email template for staff Tips for improving your notes Sample Survey

How is it working at other practices? Boston, MA Steps in Practice Summary = Location Featured Here Summarize the description of the steps in practice section in a bulleted format Keep it concise and straight to the point Think about what information would be helpful to a practice manager that is presenting this information Review other module pitch decks for examples Sioux Falls, SD

For additional resources, frequently asked questions and implementation support, visit stepsforward.org