Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Bringing OpenNotes to Geisinger

Jon Darer, MD
Physician
May 20, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

Recently, over 520 of our doctors began sharing their office visit notes with patients.

All primary care doctors and general pediatricians, and selected physicians within pediatric subspecialties, dermatology, endocrinology, pulmonology, nephrology, rheumatology, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and women’s health—including obstetrics and gynecology and gynecologic oncology—are participating in OpenNotes.

That means tens of thousands of our patients will have access to the notes doctors write about them. After each visit to their doctor, patients will get an email inviting them to read their doctors’ notes via the secure MyGeisinger online patient portal.

Giving patients easy access to their doctors’ notes can be a powerful tool for getting patients involved in their own care. It can help them remember more of what was discussed during their appointments and better understand their conditions and follow care instructions.

How did we get here?

Geisinger was one of three study sites that participated in a one-year trial of OpenNotes, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Over 12 months, 24 primary care physicians from Geisinger, along with 81 doctors from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, shared their notes with patients.

Making the physician notes available online really seemed to make a difference to patients.  At Geisinger, 82% of our patients viewed their notes. What’s more, patients reported feeling more in control of their care and being more likely to take their medications as prescribed when doctors shared their notes.

It’s rare for a single study in medicine to change practice so quickly, but the evidence about giving patients access to their notes is so compelling that most providers and departments at Geisinger have agreed to adopt OpenNotes as their new standard of care. Some departments are still tentative, willing to test this new openness with patients with just a few physicians.  We’re not expanding OpenNotes into psychiatry or pain medicine. And while pediatricians are participating, at this time we have excluded adolescents and young adults between ages 12-17 in order to safeguard their privacy.

We’re about two-thirds of the way there in terms of eligible providers willing to share their notes. However, the momentum is very strong and we will anticipate even greater participation over the next 12 months.  We are also actively working to bring in learners, and hope to make notes written by residents and fellows available to patients later this year.

Expanding OpenNotes

We anticipate continued interest from patients and for OpenNotes to expand quickly to other Geisinger doctors; our goal is to get 80% of eligible doctors on board by July of 2014.

As we move ahead, we hope others will join us in adopting OpenNotes. It appears to be a safe yet effective way of engaging patients in their care. We believe that OpenNotes represents an important milestone in achieving transparency with our patients and, if we believe what our patients say, OpenNotes will become standard practice in health care across the country.

Jon Darer is chief innovation officer, Geisinger Health System.

Prev

Should you choose to have a robotic hysterectomy?

May 20, 2013 Kevin 13
…
Next

The legal risks of prescribing the AliveCor ECG

May 20, 2013 Kevin 38
…

Tagged as: Health IT, Hospital-Based Medicine, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Should you choose to have a robotic hysterectomy?
Next Post >
The legal risks of prescribing the AliveCor ECG

ADVERTISEMENT

More in Physician

  • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Time theft: the unseen harm of abusive oversight

    Kayvan Haddadan, MD
  • Why more doctors are leaving clinical practice and how it helps health care

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Why starting with why can transform your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 26 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • Addressing menstrual health inequities in adolescents

      Callia Georgoulis | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Clinical ghosts and why they haunt our exam rooms

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How declining MMR vaccination rates put future generations at risk

      Ambika Sharma, Onyi Oligbo, and Katrina Green, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Bringing OpenNotes to Geisinger
26 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...