Question
Should we provide patients with routine online access to their visit notes and test results through a secure portal?
Background
Advocates say that open access to notes improves patient engagement and accuracy of records. Some clinicians worry that raw notes could be confusing or upsetting without context, and that responding to portal messages will increase workload.
Options
- Provide default online access to visit notes and results for all patients.
- Allow patients to opt in to online access if they choose.
- Limit online access to selected record types while keeping others private.
- Continue to share visit notes only upon specific request.