EHRs enable more effective medical records review for legal as well as medical purposes. They also allow patients to participate in their own healthcare

1. Improving Healthcare Outcomes
with Active Patient Engagement
EHRs enable more effective
medical records review for
legal as well as medical
purposes. They also allow
patients to participate in their
own healthcare
MOS Medical Record Reviews
8596 E. 101st Street, Suite H
Tulsa, OK 74133

2. www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com (800) 670 2809
Improving Healthcare Outcomes with Active Patient Engagement
Electronic health records are associated with many benefits, and included among them
are easier medical record retrieval and more effective medical records review for legal as
well as medical purposes. Another major advantage of the electronic patient record is
the improved access it allows patients, thereby improving their participation in their
healthcare. When patients are more involved in their own healthcare, it can lead to
considerable improvements in the quality of care provided. This is achieved by
emphasizing wellness and prevention rather than treatment of chronic disease. With
easy access to their personal health records, healthcare consumers can keep track of
preventive measures such as immunizations and screening tests. These documents also
have a significant role to play as regards instilling healthy lifestyle habits including diet
management, exercising, and smoking cessation.
There are many ways in which providers can connect with their patients and families –
examples include patient portal adoption, social media, secure messaging and other
health related technologies that are being developed.
Patient Engagement Beneficial, New Research Shows
New research published in the March – April Issue of Annals of Family Medicine draws
attention to the benefits obtained by patients as well as their primary care clinicians
when patients were encouraged to enter details of their own visit note into the EHR to
specify their expectations for the medical consultation. 101 patients at Harborview
Medical Center, a safety-net county hospital in Seattle participated in this study
conducted from June 9 to July 22, 2015. The results of this research reflected all-round
satisfaction. The authors of the study say that “Agenda perceptions were strongly
positive among both patients and clinicians. Patients and clinicians felt this improved
communication, and both expressed interest in patient-written agendas in the future.”
The participating patients were met in the waiting room by the research assistant when
they arrived at the clinic. The patients were requested to type their visit agendas into
the EHR via a laptop computer. The assistant stayed with the patients while they typed.
The patients belonged to the age group 18 to older than 70, and were selected on the
basis of their proficiency in English and comfort level with typing on the keyboard. Most
of these patients finished their task quickly, with 83% typing for less than 10 minutes,
and 80% writing notes shorter than 60 words. Their comments were also mostly brief
and direct. In a follow-up survey, patient comments regarding their consultation
experience were perceptive. In general, the comments reflected the fact that patients
welcomed this new approach.

3. www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com (800) 670 2809
A high percentage of both patients and clinicians endorsed patient-written agendas
saying that these helped to:
• Better prepare clinicians
• Achieve a more efficient visit
• Improve clinician understanding of patient concerns
• Prioritize the visit
• Improve clinician-patient communication
Patient – Provider Collaboration Can Flourish in Any Healthcare Setting
Both providers and patients expressed interest in continuing using patient-written
agendas. The study authors say that collaboration between clinicians and their patients
can flourish anywhere, even in settings that care for vulnerable patient populations.
They pointed out that this study was conducted at a county hospital where they had
homeless patients who access their records on cell phones or library computers, which
shows they are interested and able to participate. Though patient-written notes have a
number of typos, the researchers would like to see EHRs help advance healthcare to the
next level of patient-note co-generation.
• Patients could send providers their agendas ahead of their appointments via the
patient portal.
• Alternatively, they could type their agendas on computers in the waiting room.
• These agendas would then be automatically inserted into the doctor’s visit notes,
saving the providers valuable time in addition to getting patients more involved in
their healthcare.
The researchers stressed the importance of further study in this regard, including
measurement of patient engagement and health outcomes.
The OpenNotes Experiment
Earlier, in 2010 the OpenNotes experiment conducted by an internist Tom Delbanco and
Jan Walker, a nurse and researcher had demonstrated the advantage of patient
participation in their healthcare. Though doctors overall were not much in favour of this
experiment, after the first year the results were remarkable. Eighty percent of patients
who saw their records reported better understanding of their medical condition and said
they were in better control of their health. Two-thirds of patients said that they were
better at following their prescriptions. 99% of patients wanted OpenNotes to continue,
and no doctor withdrew from this project. It was proved that when patients see their
records, there is more accuracy and more trust.

4. www.mosmedicalrecordreview.com (800) 670 2809
As providers of medical review services, it is with great interest that we follow these new
developments that are very likely to be beneficial to the medical and legal community as
well as the healthcare consumers. Surely, providers and patients working together to
achieve better health outcomes is a practical and effective way of healthcare
management. When patients are engaged as decision makers in their own care, we can
expect to see a healthier community with better outcomes.