"Blue button" technology takes off in government and private sectors

Since the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched its "blue button" program more than a year ago, the concept has caught on, not only for other government agencies but private sector organizations as well.

The blue-button concept refers to patients clicking on a virtual button and downloading their medical records in a format that can be sent and exchanged.

The VA, the Defense Dept. and CMS teamed up with a group convened by the Markle Foundation in January 2010 to discuss ways to give patients on-demand access to their medical records. The blue-button concept was launched nine months later. Through the blue button, veterans can download their complete medical records, and Medicare recipients can use it to access their claims information.

Since the blue button's launch, more than 400,000 veterans and Medicare recipients have used the technology to download their data. The health plan Tricare has made the technology available to active military personnel and their families. In recent months, several private-sector organizations, including Walgreens, Aetna, United Healthcare and Patients Like Me, have either launched, or plan to launch, their versions of the technology.

Brian J. Kelly, MD, head of Aetna Informatics and Strategic Alignment, said Aetna's personal health record allowed patients to download their data in a PDF format for several years, but it recently revamped the system to add the blue-button technology. In addition to downloading and accessing data, members can send data through the blue-button technology. "In turn, both members and their doctors can make more informed treatment decisions and deliver better health outcomes," Dr. Kelly said.

He said several thousand members used the blue button in October. "Still, blue button is new, and we expect the trend to grow as doctors and members become more familiar with the capability."

Technology giant McKesson upgraded its RelayHealth PHR system recently to include a blue button. The move came in response to a contest launched by the VA in the summer of 2010. In an attempt to expand blue-button availability to veterans receiving care from non-VA facilities, as well as to the public, the VA sought out PHR vendors to build a blue-button system and get 25,000 physicians to make it available to their patients.

Users of RelayHealth always had the ability to download their continuity of care documents. The blue button technology will allow them to access, download and share their health data with physicians and family members.

"By allowing patients, including veterans and active-duty service members, to easily access their health care information, the initiative will increase patients' ability to actively engage in managing their own health care," said Jim Bodenbender, president of RelayHealth Connectivity Solutions.

RelayHealth won the $50,000 prize the VA offered for the winning blue button-enabled PHR and is donating the money to the Wounded Warrior Project, which benefits war veterans. RelayHealth said its blue-button system is being offered by more than the required 25,000 physicians.

The Obama administration supports the blue-button concept as a way to keep patients more engaged in their health care.