In the digital world of the EMR, Open Notes change everything

EMR use during medical visits has been found to distract physicians and negatively influence their ability to deliver patient-centered care. In this issue, Assis-Hassid and colleagues propose a redress of this effect by creating a 23-item inventory of communication-related best practices regarding EMR use during medical visits with relevance for medical student training and enhanced clinical practice. This paper and recent initiatives to share physicians' EMR notes with patients through secure portals raise questions regarding the future role of the EMR and its implication for the patient-physician relationship. The purpose of this commentary is to provide a perspective on the EMR as part of the rapidly evolving digital environment and to discuss how the growing movement to provide patients full access to their EMR can act as a catalyst for the forging of a new model of patient-physician collaboration and partnership.