Empowering Health Care Consumers

Project Title

Project Garnet OpenNotes

Grant Amount

$125,000

Priority Area

Empowering Health Care Consumers

Date Awarded

October 1, 2019

Region

Hudson Valley

Statewide

Status

Closed

Website

https://www.crmcny.org/about-us/ghvhs

True consumer empowerment begins when patients have access to the information they need to talk to their health care providers, share information, and develop a trusted relationship.

By giving patients access to the visit notes written by their doctors, nurses, or other clinicians, OpenNotes is an important step in achieving the goal of consumers being active participants in their own care. Since 2016, NYHealth has supported efforts to expand OpenNotes throughout the State, including at geographically dispersed hospital systems. Building upon this momentum, NYHealth issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), Growing OpenNotes Across New York State, to support OpenNotes in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), multispecialty group practices, hospital-affiliated physician groups, independent physician practices, and other non-hospital health care settings. Through this RFP, NYHealth aims to spread OpenNotes to all settings in which patients receive care, especially in underserved communities. In 2019, NYHealth awarded GHVHS Medical Group a grant to participate in this initiative.

Under this grant, GHVHS Medical Group implemented OpenNotes at its four medical groups’ six locations for primary care patients. GHVHS Medical Group operated in Orange and Sullivan counties, focusing on rural, underserved communities. It provided patients with written copies of their visit notes and conducted direct, one-on-one engagement to help them use OpenNotes. To promote OpenNotes systemwide, GHVHS Medical Group held town hall-style meetings and provider talk sessions, as well as conducted extensive physician and office training, to educate providers on OpenNotes and the synchronization of care during patient visits.

See a full list of grantees working to grow OpenNotes in non-hospital settings across New York State.