They Are YOUR Medical Records. Will The Blue Button Help You Get Them?

  It is a disarmingly simple idea: create a blue button logo with a download moniker on it and let it loose so people can actually download, review, and keep their own medical records. But simple on the surface masks complexity below a revolutionary concept: that patients are not only the subject of the records, but that they own those records, and through that ownership can actually be partners in their care or even improve their own health. That was the topic of a meeting I attended yesterday at the White House, where representatives of government, health technology vendors, consumer groups, and others interested in advancing the role and usefulness of health information technology came together to give updates on the progress of the "Blue Button" program, review the current state of affairs, and pledge to advance the concept going forward. And I was honored to be invited to join this knowledgeable and committed group on behalf of the American Cancer Society. When you think about it, patients with cancer and other serious illnesses should be clamoring for this to become the routine and not the exception. As I have written before, it is difficult enough to hear that you have cancer and are going to need complicated treatment. But that is just the beginning of what can be a very tortuous journey for patients and their caregivers through the cancer treatment maze. Complex diagnoses, loads of records, and no way to have the health information communicated easily from one p...
Source: Dr. Len's Cancer Blog - Category: Cancer Authors: Tags: Access to care Cancer Care Medicare Treatment Source Type: blogs