On Monday, Oct. 3, a new batch of notes and encounters will become visible to patients in One Chart | Patient.
Key changes of what will become visible to patients:
- Any note entered into the medical record by ancillary staff will be visible, such as nursing assistants, respiratory or nutrition, in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
- All patient encounter types, including phone calls, will be visible in the “Appointment” section. This includes encounters related to prescriptions, orders only and documentation. Previously, only in-person encounters were visible.
- Consent forms also will be visible to patients in the “Document” section.
Notes entered by the inpatient care team will only be visible to the patient after discharge. When entering a note, a box “share with patient” will automatically be checked.
“If a user unchecks this box, they’ll be asked to indicate the reason,” said David Cloyed, director of applications for Nebraska Medicine.
Several notes will not automatically be shared with patients. An example of that includes a Sexual Assault Examiner (SANE) encounter. A provider can choose to share those notes if appropriate, but the sharing default will not be pre-selected.
Any note that was not shared previously with a patient will continue to not be shared, unless the note is added and re-signed, Cloyed said.
The work is all part of the 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in 2016. A big part of the legislation requires hospitals to share test results (lab tests, imaging, pathology, for example) with patients automatically, including provider notes. The initial requirement was fulfilled in 2021.
“The idea is to provide the information to patients inside the electronic medical record, to help them feel empowered and more in control of their health and increase their understanding of their health,” Cloyed said.
This change will impact our Community Connect sites, as well, on Monday, Oct. 3.
For more information, see this FAQ.