Open Notes in MyChart Improve Care

June 13, 2016

Access to provider notes increases patient involvement and understanding of care

Patients who had access to provider notes in MyChart said they felt more involved in their care and had more information about their visits, according to a pilot study conducted by Mount Sinai Health System in New York.

Mount Sinai joins 16 other Epic organizations that share provider notes with patients as part of the OpenNotes initiative, which aims to improve transparency, communication, and patient engagement. Mount Sinai patients can access their notes through MyMountSinaiChart, the organization’s branded version of Epic’s MyChart patient portal. Kaiser Permanente Northwest, another Epic organization that’s been sharing notes with patients through MyChart since early 2014, observed similar results. Of the patients who read provider notes, 80% said they better understood their health condition, 78% said they felt more in control of their care, and 70% said their opinion of their doctor improved.