wagi8 Heads Up: That Patient Portal May Contain Your Therapy Notes

Stunned. Ambushed. Traumatized.wagi8

These were the words that Jeffrey, 76, used to describe how he felt when he stumbled upon his therapist’s notes after logging into an online patient portal in June.

There was a summary of the physical and emotional abuse he endured during childhood. Characterizations of his most intimate relationships. And an assessment of his insight (fair) and his judgment (poor). Each was written by his new psychologist, whom he had seen four times.

“I felt as though someone had tied me up in a chair and was slapping me, and I was defenseless,” said Jeffrey, whose psychologist had diagnosed him with complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jeffrey, who lives in New York City and asked to be identified by his middle name to protect his privacy, was startled not only by the details that had been included in the visit summaries, but also by some inaccuracies.

And because his therapist practiced at a large hospital, he worried that his other doctors who used the same online records system would read the notes.

In the past, if patients wanted to see what their therapists had written about them, they had to formally request their records. But after a change in federal law, it has become increasingly common for patients in health care systems across the country to view their notes online — it can be as easy as logging into patient portals like MyChart.

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