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The Veterans Affairs Department, which has been a pacesetter in healthcare information technology for more than 30 years, is proving to be a role model once more. This time it is giving patients easier access to their own health information.
The New York-based Markle Foundation’s Connecting for Health program has released a policy paper co-signed by 46 organizations, including more than a dozen health IT companies, in support of the so-called “blue button” technology being developed by the VA in conjunction with the Medicare and Medicaid programs at the CMS.
The technology aims to make it easy for patients to go online and download copies of their medical records.
Neil Moore found himself repeatedly frustrated when he tried to call for updates on how his father-in-law was doing while in a nursing home.
Either calls would go unreturned, or staffers didn’t have enough time to talk, leaving Moore and his family in the dark about his father-in-law, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. “It didn’t make sense that we weren’t being proactively updated on his status,” Moore said.
Unlike many others who’ve faced the same annoyance, Moore — a 20-year veteran in the field of health information technology, including a stint with Becton, Dickinson and Co. — was in the position to do something about it.
Surescripts has introduced a service designed to make it easier for users of Microsoft HealthVault to access an electronic record of their prescriptions.
Called Medication History for Personal Health Records (PHRs), the new Surescripts service will allow consumers to request and receive records of their dispensed medications from community pharmacies using Surescripts’ secure electronic connection to HealthVault, the national e-prescription network said Wednesday.
PHRs have been an enormous asset to my duties as a caregiver, simplifying routine medical appointments such as medication adjustments. After all, there’s no guessing when it’s on a piece of paper.
Maintaining a personal health record (PHR) is the key to my existence today. My PHR experience started in the early 1970’s. My parents were diligent about keeping comprehensive and up-to-date files and medical records for me, due to a near medical error as a child. I was almost given the wrong medication by the physician in an emergency situation.
A friend reviewed my medical history with me, including all of my illnesses and health issues. She asked me to start at the top of my head and to go all the way to my toes, and to list anything that was wrong including explanations for any scars.
- Should my PHR include emergency contact information?
- When can healthcare providers share information from my PHR with my family without my consent?
- Where do I go if I can't find the information I need on your Web site?
- What is the training for people involved in managing my health records?
- Does AHIMA store copies of my health record?
- What do I do if I believe my health information privacy rights have been violated?
- More...
PHRs do more than manage medication. Stay up to date with information that can help you communicate with your doctor and stay out of the hospital.
