Hello Sue, I just read your question to Dr. Carney. She gave me her answer immediately, which was: "Yes".
Try cooking some in your Instant-pot and see how delicous they are. We cook them in as much water as a six to one ratio and it is amazing how much they swell and absorb the water.
The whole oat groats also smell amazing, even before you cook them. The smell reminds us of oatmeal cookies. We store ours in two quart mason jars in our food pantry and sometimes we just open the lid and smell the whole oat groats. It is a pleasant smell that you just won't find with steel cut or rolled oats.
Sean