Project Grant R21MD019870

This $475,226 Project Grant was awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) under the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research program (CFDA 93.307). The project will analyze the effects of the OpenNotes policy, which provides patients easy access to their medical records, on clinical documentation and health disparities. Researchers at The Johns Hopkins University will use clinical natural language processing tools to characterize changes in medical record language before and after OpenNotes implementation, with a focus on mental health records and populations experiencing health disparities. The goal is to evaluate how the OpenNotes policy may impact the quality of clinical documentation and potentially exacerbate or mitigate existing healthcare disparities. This 22-month project is expected to conclude on March 31, 2026 and will provide empirical evidence to guide policy decisions on the OpenNotes program.