As a part of the OpenNotes initiative, nine prominent health systems and physician practices in the northwestern U.S. have collaborated to provide patients access to the physician notes included in their electronic medical records.
"Oregon and southwest Washington represent the first region in the U.S. to collaborate on implementing open notes as a community," said Amy Fellows, director of We Can Do Better, the nonprofit behind the effort, in a news release. "Local health providers have been very supportive of providing patients here in the Northwest with this increased level of transparency. We look forward to the day when all consumers will be able to access their providers' notes."
The nine providers that are already practicing open notes or have plans to do so by 2015 include: Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Legacy Health in Portland, Ore., Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Providence Medical Group Oregon in Portland, The Portland Clinic, The Vancouver (Wash.) Clinic, Portland VA Medical Center, OCHIN in Portland and Salem (Ore.) Health.
"Now, nearly 500,000 Kaiser Permanente members will, for the first time ever, be able to easily view the notes charted by their doctor during an office visit," said Michael McNamara, MD, CMIO of Kaiser Permanente Northwest, in the release. "We want patients to feel connected with their providers, and to have the type of tools that will enable them to be more engaged and in control of their care."
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