Allina Health announced this week that approximately half a million patients in the Minneapolis region can now read the notes physicians write about them.

Allina said that its patients can now log into a portal to view not just those notes but also doctor’s instructions and next steps as well as prescriptions and orders. They will also be able to send messages to their care teams and participate in eVisits from computers, tablets or phones.

In deploying the OpenNotes software, Allina joins the likes of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Geisinger Health System and others in giving patients access to doctor’s notes. 

The 12-hospital system with more than 90 clinics previously granted its consumers access to portions of their medical record, such as medication history and lab results and enabled them to schedule appointments online.

Tim Sielaff, MD, senior vice president of Allina Health, described physician notes as the thread that ties an entire patient record together.

“We know patients generally retain only a portion of the information that is exchanged with their doctor during an office visit,” Sielaff said in a statement. “Sharing these notes can greatly change the way patients engage with their doctor and manage their care.”

OpenNotes co-director Tom Delbanco, MD, has long contended that the effort is not just a software product but a movement and the initiative won the Data Liberator Award in April at Health Datapalooza.  

Twitter: SullyHIT
Email the writer: tom.sullivan@himssmedia.com

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