March 2022: AMA STEPS Forward, Interop Hero, BMJ Top Article

March 2022

OpenNotes Named Interoperability Hero: Interview with Cait DesRoches, DrPH

When it comes to the 21st Century Cures Act Information Blocking rule, DesRoches,“encourages organizations to shift their thinking away from, 'This is just something we have to comply with,' to, 'This is something we can really do that will improve care for our patients — and at a relatively low cost for us.' We’re already sending this information to the portal, so the next step is just how do we get patients to use it.”

See the full interview >>

Read about the DirectTrust Interoperability Hero award>>

Catherine “Cait” DesRoches, DrPH, Director of OpenNotes

Filling A Gap In Safety Metrics

OpenNotes publication listed in BMJ's Top Articles of 2021

“The traditional tools and measures to identify diagnostic errors were developed and used by clinicians. But patients and families describe diagnostic breakdowns using different words and concepts, including some that might not be detected by conventional methods. The PRDB framework enabled identification of issues that may be undetected by clinicians, most commonly including missing or inaccurate symptoms, problems or delays related to the explanation or plan, communication breakdowns, barriers to completing tests and referrals or missing. or inaccurate follow-up about results."

Read the full paper >>

Sigall K. Bell, M.D.

Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School & Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Director of Patient Safety & Discovery, OpenNotes

Spotlight: New OpenNotes Team Member

We're excited to welcome Alex Duncan, B.S., to our team as the new Clinical Research Coordinator.

Alex received her B.S. in Health and Wellness from Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is currently completing a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Tufts University.

In Case You Missed It

Sharing clinical notes and electronic health records with people affected by mental health conditions: scoping review, Journal of Medical Internet Research Mental Health, Schwarz J, Barkas, Blease C, et al.

Negative patient pescriptors: documenting racial bias in the electronic health record, Health Affairs, Sun M, Oliwa T, Peek M, et al.

Engaging and supporting family caregivers in care delivery, Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health, Wolff J, and Fabius C.

Lessons learned from OpenNotes learning mode and subsequent implementation across a pediatric health system, Applied Clinical Informatics, Murugan A, Gooding H, Greenbaum J, et al.

Support Our Work

Have you learned something from OpenNotes that has helped you with your work? We’re funded entirely by grants and philanthropic gifts. Your gifts help make possible the educational resources we offer without charge through the Creative Commons. Support the study of transparency in healthcare by making a tax-deductible donation to OpenNotes.

Remember to visit WhereIsMyMedicalRecord.org to learn more about how to find your healthcare information and what to do if you can't find it.