Yes - the 21st Century Cures Act requires access to clinical notes, and most portals now show them automatically. The one exception is private psychotherapy notes from a therapist.
What to do
Common questions
Can I see my doctor's notes about me?
Yes - and these days you usually already can, free, without asking anyone. The federal information-blocking rules under the 21st Century Cures Act require providers to give patients access to their clinical notes, and in practice most health systems push them straight to the patient portal, often right after the visit. The OpenNotes movement - now essentially the national default - centers on exactly this: patients reading what their clinicians wrote. What you will find: the history you gave, the exam findings, the clinician's assessment, and the plan. Reading notes is genuinely useful - patients catch errors, remember instructions, and spot follow-ups that never happened. Be ready for medical shorthand and blunt phrasing ("patient denies chest pain" means you said no, not that they doubt you), and for seeing test results before anyone has called you, which can be jarring with serious findings. The one real exception: psychotherapy notes - a therapist's private process notes - are excluded from your access right under HHS rules. Ordinary visit notes, including from mental health visits, are not. If your portal does not show notes, ask the office - they are required to provide them on request. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text. Paste in confusing note language and it will translate the jargon into plain words.