Share Clinical Notes With Patients or Else

Patient engagement is the Holy Grail of healthcare. The theory is if patients take an active role in managing and maintaining their health, they will reap the benefits, staying healthier, spending less, and costing the system less. One way to get and keep patients engaged is through patient portals. But how do you get them to sign up?

Some health systems have recognized that sharing clinical notes with patients through OpenNotes is a way to attract new portal account signups. “They see OpenNotes as way of getting more patients into their portal,” says Melissa Anselmo, National OpenNotes Program Director in the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “They also see it as a way to retain patients. Once you get patients in the portal, they’re less likely to leave.”

OpenNotes was tested at three large health systems in 2010. The trial involved 20,000 patients. Today, five million patients have access to clinical notes through OpenNotes. The post-trial survey of patients in the original study showed that patients really liked having access to their notes. In fact they wouldn’t want to do without them in the future, and would think twice about choosing a health system or provider that didn’t offer OpenNotes.

Is your health system using OpenNotes? Have your competitors turned OpenNotes on? Read the latest article in our eHealthcare Pulse series, OpenNotes Increases Patient Loyalty and Portal Signups; A New Competitive Imperitive?

Best regards,
Jane Weber Brubaker
Editor