The Blue Button

[Greenbeard]

Several weeks ago, the VA launched a Blue Button on the MyHealtheVet web portal that allows VA patients access to a personal health record. Now CMS has launched its own Blue Button on the MyMedicare.gov portal. "CMS puts Medicare personal health data at your fingertips":

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has launched a new feature on the the MyMedicare.gov secure website that enables 47 million Medicare beneficiaries to view, download and print their complete medical records, officials announced.

The CMS "Blue Button" download feature is similar to the Veterans Affairs Department’s debut of a Blue Button capability on its MyHealtheVet website in August.

The Blue Button capabilities are open government initiatives by both agencies in response to calls from the Markle Foundation and advocacy groups to allow patients greater access to their personal medical data.

The VA’s Blue Button has already proven to be popular. Since it was introduced in August, more than 60,000 veterans have downloaded their medical files, the release said.

[...]

Currently, only a small percentage of doctors use electronic record systems, but the adoption rate is expected to increase as a result of incentive payments under the economic stimulus law of 2009.

“Having ready access to personal health information from Medicare claims can help beneficiaries understand their medical history and partner more effectively with providers,” reads a news release published on the White House Blog.

Labs and e-prescribing data still to come.

 

[TossObama]

Everyone should stay away from the Blue Button. This is nothing short of a data collection on every single person who accesses it.

I would also strongly suggest that the committee worm hunters pick victims for their schemes other than VA Patients.

 

[Revere]

Incentive payments = government stiff arm.

Real privacy is keeping government the hell out of your medical records.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Yes, clearly people are too stupid to take care of themselves and need Big Brother to hand them their meds

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Little known fact: every major civilization hand the government keeping health care records on all their citizens. The Brits had Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson records and they were damn grateful the government watched after them

 

[The T]

Greenie? You're a Big Government PIMP. ADMIT IT.

 

[Greenbeard]

Greenie? You're a Big Government PIMP. ADMIT IT.

This is an initiative that was demanded by patient advocates. Advocates who happen to believe that ownership of your personal health information lies with you and not with your provider(s), which is a philosophy I share. Empowering patients is a bad thing why?

 

[Revere]

Greenie? You're a Big Government PIMP. ADMIT IT.

This is an initiative that was demanded by patient advocates. Advocates who happen to believe that ownership of your personal health information lies with you and not with your provider(s), which is a philosophy I share. Empowering patients is a bad thing why?

Name the "patient advocates."

 

[Greenbeard]

Are you having trouble reading the OP? The effort was spearheaded by Markle, which laid down some of the seminal work on patient health information privacy protections in the digital age. But if you want the full list of those pushing for patient empowerment via the Blue Button, it's:

• AARP
• Allscripts Healthcare Solutions
• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American College of Cardiology
• American College of Emergency Physicians
• American Medical Association
• Anakam Inc.
• Axolotl
• BlueCross BlueShield Association
• Center for Connected Health
• The Children's Partnership
• Center for Democracy and Technology
• Center for Medical Consumers
• Children's Health Fund
• Chilmark Research
• Computer Sciences Corporation
• Consumers Union
• Dossia Consortium
• DrFirst
• Google
• Initiate, an IBM Company
• The Institute for Family Health
• Intel Corporation
• Intuit Health
• Keas, Inc.
• LifeMasters-StayWell Health Management
• Markle Foundation
• McKesson Technology Solutions/RelayHealth
• MedCommons
• Medical Group Management Association
• Meditech
• Microsoft Corporation
• National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
• National Committee for Quality Assurance
• National Partnership for Women & Families
• National Quality Forum
• NaviNet
• Pacific Business Group on Health
• PatientsLikeMe
• Prematics, Inc.
• Press Ganey
• PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
• RTI International
• Vanderbilt Center for Better Health
• Visiting Nurse Service of New York
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

 

[Revere]

Those are corporate cronies, not patient advocates.

 

[TossObama]

Greenie? You're a Big Government PIMP. ADMIT IT.

This is an initiative that was demanded by patient advocates. Advocates who happen to believe that ownership of your personal health information lies with you and not with your provider(s), which is a philosophy I share. Empowering patients is a bad thing why?

What "Patient Advocates"?? I don't know one who demanded this guff, not one. In fact there are overwhelming concerns regarding the fact those sites are so easily hacked.

As for your idea involving "ownership" of our health care records, let me assure you of the fact all Patients are entitled by law to read and obtain copies of all their health care records without your "Blue Button" guff. That most assuredly includes VA medical records.

Why anyone would want their medical data held on a government data bank is beyond me. I understand why you, Greenbeard, want it done that way -- your prying eyes and need for clinical "meat" is at play. But the benefits to any Patient are absent.

But gosh. Patients get a Blue Button.

How nice.

 

[Greenbeard]

No, it's a mix of tech groups, provider reps, and, yes, advocates (e.g. AARP, the Children's Health Fund, Center for Democracy and Technology, Consumer Union, etc).

I take it you believe that you shouldn't have control of your own health information.

 

[Revere]

AARP ceased to be a patient advocate group when it threw in with government run health care.

Your health information is between you and your doctor.

 

[Greenbeard]

Your health information is between you and your doctor.

No kidding.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Little know history facts: The real reason for the collapse of the Roman Empire was that one of the last Caesars, Barack Hussein Caesar, actually lost all the patient records maintained by previous Emperors and well, doctors handed out oxtails to patients who really needed leeches and the rest is history

 

[Revere]

Not parasitic government eugenicists who want metrics on you but won't tell you why.

 

[Greenbeard]

Not parasitic government eugenicists who want metrics on you but won't tell you why.

You really need to step away from talk radio or cable news or wherever it is you get your "information" and try thinking once in a while. You might find you enjoy it.

 

[Revere]

Not parasitic government eugenicists who want metrics on you but won't tell you why.

You really need to step away from talk radio or cable news or wherever it is you get your "information" and try thinking once in a while. You might find you enjoy it.

You don't merit having "information" on anyone.

You're a wart.

 

[TossObama]

Right now CER can't simply confisgate everyone's medical records for their data bases.

What they are doing is putting idiots out there to convince people to sign on with that disgusting plan, then they can claim "Patients wanted it". Note the previous manipulation statement that Greenbeard made that made it appear all Patients don't "own" their medical records.

The fact is, any Patient who wants their records can get them. That's the law and they darned sure don't need a stupid Blue Button to get them. Moreover, right now Patient Records are protected by law from goons like CER but if you willingly hand those records over, that's another matter.

Keep in mind CER is a political goon squad and has always been such even though they claim otherwise.

The brightest of the bright are in labs, not sitting on political committees who are trying to yank real science out of the hands of real Scientists. What's behind it? Money. For example, the VA hospital system is paid lots of money by allowing experiments on VA patients. They don't even tell those Patients anything is experimental. When something goes wrong, well it's just too bad.

Nobody with a brain wants this mess anywhere in their lives.

 

[Greenbeard]

Everyone should stay away from the Blue Button. This is nothing short of a data collection on every single person who accesses it.

What is it with you and hysteria? There's no new data here. If you get care through the VA, the VA is your provider. They already have a sophisticated EMR system in VistA and the Blue Button allows patients to access their own EMR. In the case of Medicare patients, the Blue Button gives them access to claims-based data. Since Medicare is a payer, that's what it does: collects and pays claims. What the Medicare Blue Button does is make Medicare's claims data available to beneficiaries (not a full EHR). So let me try and make this clear: the VA and Medicare already have the data being shared through the Blue Button. What they're doing is making that data more accessible to the patient it concerns.

There's currently no private analogue of the Blue Button but when there is it will come from your provider, who will be able to provide your EHR through your statewide HIE. And I suppose your payer could potentially also make your claims data available to you.

You are a loon.