OpenNotes Opening New Doors for Engagement between Patients and Providers

​Despite initial hesitance, providers and patients are expressing optimism about the OpenNotes program, according to a February 26, 2017, article in MedPage Today. The OpenNotes program encourages providers to share notes with their patients. The effort, which began in 2010, involved more than 100 primary care doctors and 20,000 patients in Boston, Seattle, and rural Pennsylvania. Fears that OpenNotes would be a burden on providers have thus far been largely unfounded, according to the article. Before the effort began, 24% of respondents indicated that they worried OpenNotes would make visits longer. Only 2% of providers listed this as an issue after implementing OpenNotes.