"Near-Wins in the Pursuit of Quality: Does Transparency Matter If No One is Looking?"

In this new editorial for BMJ Quality & Safety, OpenNotes' Sigall Bell, MD and Cait DesRoches, DrPH reflect on how access to medical notes can improve the quality of care, but only if patients are able to read and understand them. In the time between medical visits, when patients are monitoring their own health, AI may open a new frontier. Read now. (open access 🔓)

Bell SK, DesRoches CM. “Near-Wins in the Pursuit of Quality: Does Transparency Matter If No One Is Looking?” BMJ Quality & Safety, October 22, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2025-019394

"Patient Participation in Kidney Transplant Candidacy—Opening the Door to the 'God Committee'"

A new JAMA Viewpoint, co-authored by OpenNotes co-founder Tom Delbanco, MD, calls for greater transparency and the inclusion of patient voices in how candidates for life-saving organ transplants are evaluated. Read the publication in JAMA (paywalled 🔒) and the OpenNotes press release (open access 🔓).

Pawar, AS, Stafford RS, Delbanco T. “Patient Participation in Kidney Transplant Candidacy—Opening the Door to the ‘God Committee.’” JAMA, November 5, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.19683 

"Whom Should We Regard as a Legitimate Stakeholder in the Accuracy of Information in a Patient’s EHR?"

This case describes a care partner who was distressed by bias and inaccuracies in a loved one's medical notes. Steve O'Neill LICSW, BCD, JD and Catherine M. DesRoches, DrPH, MSc offer guidance on how the doctors and hospital should respond. Read the publication in AMA Journal of Ethics. (open access 🔓).

O’Neill S, DesRoches CM. Whom Should We Regard as a Legitimate Stakeholder in the Accuracy of Information in a Patient’s EHR? AMA Journal of Ethics. 2025;27(11):780-786. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2025.780

"Which Patients With Cancer Access Their Clinical Notes? A Disparities Analysis"

Although clinician notes are now available to all patients, many of the most vulnerable populations are less likely to read them. This study tracks how ethnicity, race, and language impact who is opening their notes at a high-volume specialty cancer center. Read the article. (paywalled 🔒)

Chimonas S, White C, Seier K, Polubriaginof F, Michael C, Walters C, Lipitz-Snyderman A, Kuperman G. Which Patients With Cancer Access Their Clinical Notes? A Disparities Analysis. JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics. 2025;(9). https://doi.org/10.1200/cci-24-00254

AI Playbook Launched by Digital Medicine Society (DiME)

DiME has assembled a coalition of 30 leading partners, including OpenNotes and Google Health, to launch an action-oriented roadmap for AI in healthcare settings. The roadmap will help evaluate and implement AI solutions responsibly, with equity and trust at the center. View the Playbook.

OpenNotes Co-founder Delivers Unforgettable Lecture

Watch the recording of Tom Delbanco's Grandberg Lecture—where he reflected on his 55-year journey to transform primary care. From listening more deeply to patients to launching a global transparency movement, Tom’s story is one of radical empathy, lasting change, and what comes next. Watch Tom's lecture.

In the Age of AI, What Happens When Patients Read Their Open Notes?

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the efforts of the OpenNotes Lab, which is exploring the next frontier of healthcare transparency through AI. Plus, learn about key findings from our proof-of-concept study on how patients might use large language models to interpret open notes. Watch the webinar.