January 2022
OpenNotes NEXT
Open and transparent communication involving all patients and clinicians…the OpenNotes mission for the next decade.
No longer are medical records hidden from patients. Everyone in the U.S. has won the right to review and use their clinicians’ notes. However, most people are unaware of how much they may benefit and don’t read them…and many still cannot access their medical records.

For OpenNotes, our work has just begun!
We are working to reach out and educate:

  • Teaching future doctors: Embedding transparency as a foundational element of medical education.

  • Learning Collaboratives: Bringing patients and clinicians together to change the culture of medical care.

  • New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) OpenNotes Collaborative: Bringing effective implementations of open notes to a broad variety of patients throughout New York State.

  • Case Studies: Learning from diverse institutions that incorporate transparent communication really well.

  • International Deployment of eHealth: Studying implementation of transparent records in a growing number of nations.

We are creating and studying new approaches to transparent communication

  • OurNotes: Can patients and clinicians develop closer partnerships by writing progress notes together?

  • OurNotes for Caregivers: Can OurNotes benefit both patients and those caring for them at home?

  • OurDiagnosis (OurDx): Can we improve patient safety by engaging patients and families in the diagnostic process?

  • Documenting the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): Might notes that incorporate individual social determinants of health benefit patients while maintaining their privacy?

  • MyDischarge Summary: Can shared records help ensure optimal care for patients as they leave the hospital?

  • Patient Priorities Care: Can patients decide on their primary goals for care…and share their insights with their clinicians?

  • OurResearch: Can patient-led and co-designed research lead to more successful participant recruitment than studies designed by investigators alone?
As practice evolves further over the next decade, OpenNotes is uniquely equipped to lead and evaluate the charge to full transparency in healthcare.