Open Notes Can be Transformational for Physical Therapy

I've been using video to record the patient experience in my outpatient physical therapy clinic for several years. I've never shared that video via the internet with my patient. But, the technology to do that now is simple.

Further, patient functional status, vital signs, objective tests - all these can be shared via the electronic medical record in the physical therapists' clinic.

Watch this video below to see how OpenNotes can change lives and improve health care, including physical therapy:

 

I posted on OpenNotes here.

Some of the ways I think OpenNotes can help physical therapists include the following:

• Reduce overblown estimates of "Fraud and Abuse" that are due to good, smart hardworking therapists working in a stupid system.
• Increase patient involvement and compliance with their plan of care. 
• Improve therapist productivity that is whittled away working on archaic, frequently handwritten, narrative summaries of the patient experience.
• Pass control and responsibility for the rehabilitative process from the therapist to the patient. 
• Increase the role of the "coach" and the "mentor" played by the physical therapist. 
• Reduce the administrative burden (currently 100%) borne by the therapist for the creation of the patient record. 

Do you think OpenNotes of some sort could improve physical therapy?

How?

Please leave a comment.

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Open Notes Can be Transformational for Physical Therapy

Reviewed by Merlyn Rosell
Published : 2012-10-13T08:45:00-07:00
Rating : 4.5