MedPage Today October 28, 2020
— “Open Notes” rule of 21st Century Cures Act goes into effect Nov. 2
Starting next week, patients will have immediate access to nearly all clinical notes in their electronic health records as part of a federal mandate, although enforcement won’t happen right away.
On Nov. 2, the “Information Blocking” rule of the 21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016, will go into effect. Referred to as “Open Notes,” it states that eight types of clinical notes can’t be blocked and must be made immediately available to patients. These include:
- Consultation notes
- Discharge summary notes
- History and physical
- Imaging narratives
- Lab report narratives
- Pathology report narratives
- Procedure notes
- Progress notes
Psychotherapy notes, and information compiled in anticipation of...