HHS: More Than 430K Vets Using ‘Blue Button’ To Access Health Data

iHealthBeat, October 11, 2011

BEI Commentary: Patients are interested in accessing and downloading their medical records.  Here is another indication of that with the number of users greatly exceeding initial expections.

On Tuesday, HHS Chief Technology Officer Todd Park announced that more than 430,000 veterans have downloaded their health care claims data via the Department of Veterans Affairs’ “Blue Button” initiative since it launched late last year, Modern Healthcare reports.

Park announced the figure during the FedTalks 2011 conference in Washington, D.C. (Daly, Modern Healthcare, 10/11).

About the Blue Button Tool

The Blue Button system is a tool for veterans to download, store or print medical information. From the MyHealtheVet site, veterans can use the Blue Button tool to download:

• Demographic information;
• Emergency contacts;
• Lists of prescription medication; and
• Wellness reminders. Read More

Top 10 ways to engage patients with IT

From: Healthcare IT News, May 3, 2011

NEW YORK – The Institute for Health Technology Transformation has released a report that compiles what key health IT experts from across the United States view as the best ways to engage patients in the digital age.

“Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Engaging Patients” was prepared by: Donna Scott, executive director of marketing strategy, RelayHealth; Howard Rosen, CEO, Life:Wire; Brad Tritle, president  and CEO, eHealth Trust Arizona; Shadaab Kanwal, director of clinical informatics, UCLA Health Sciences; Michael Brown, MD, chief information officer, Harvard University Health Services; Adam Clark, director of scientific and federal affairs, FasterCures, and member, ONC HIT Policy Committee; Pamela Law, MD, David Geffen School of Medicine ’09, affiliated with Health 2.0; and Waco Hoover, CEO, Institute for Health Technology Transformation. Read More