UnitedHealthcare is letting members do it themselves, by allowing them to use Blue Button technology to download their electronic health information in a common format to a personal health record (PHRs).
Originally developed for veterans, Blue Button was launched in 2010 by the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow the simple exchange of a patient’s personal health data in a standard, consistent format.
UnitedHealthcare made Blue Button available to 500,000 civilian members covered in Nevada, in March, and now 12 million more will get access to the technology by year-end. The company plans to have all 26 million members to have access by mid-2013.
UnitedHealthcare already offers members a personal health record via its myuhc.com, which has actually been around for years, used by 20 million people who logged on to UnitedHealthcare’s health and wellness site. Now, they will be able to go to myuhc.com, get access to their PHRs, just click and print.
It will also make it easier to update the PHRs and to print information to bring to an appointment, the story reports.
The insurer was way ahead of the curve. For years, nearly 20 million people have had access to their health records by logging onto UnitedHealthcare’s health and wellness site, and now they can view, print and download information from claims data, health screenings and self-entry, along with other information, according to a company press release.
Members’ PHRs will include previous or current health conditions, vital signs and procedures, and personal information “that allow easy sharing of important information,” the press release states.
About half a million veterans and Medicare members, including non-veterans, have already downloaded their records using the Blue Button interface, according to VA chief information officer, Roger Baker.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has now asked all health insurance carriers in the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program to add Blue Button to their websites, as well.
Edited by
Brooke Neuman
