Blue Button

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Blue Button - Introduction for General Audiences
    “Blue Button” is shorthand for a movement toward an improved healthcare system in which patients and providers use information technology to collaborate and improve health. The Blue Button logo...
  2. Blue Button - Using and Understanding the Blue Button
    The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets rules and limits over who can look at and receive your health information. The rules still apply with Blue Button so your doctor...
    Even if you don’t have access to Blue Button through your health plan, doctor or other health care provider such as pharmacies, nursing homes and labs, you still have a legal right to see and get a...
    Many people in the United States still don’t have easy, electronic access to their health information, and many don’t know that the Federal government has taken a large step towards solving that...
    It depends. The data that you are able to get from your health plan and your health care provider (doctor, hospital, etc.) may be different. Health plans may have both claims and personal...
    Remember that unless you are a veteran, Medicare beneficiary or service member or your health plan, health care provider (doctor or hospital) or other entities where you seek care use Blue Button, it...
    The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) helps keep entities covered under HIPAA accountable for the privacy and security of patients’ health information. Although electronic...
    You should already be taking care of yourself—or managing your care—by watching what you eat, exercising and taking advantage of preventive health benefits your health plan might offer. And many...
    To ensure that your personal health information is kept private and secure, typically only you can access the Blue Button after you have logged into your health care provider or health plan’s patient...
    Blue Button for America is a collaborative effort by the Department of Health and Human Services, the White House, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand consumer access to personal health...
    There should not be a cost. Ask your health care provider or health plan if they offer a way for you to view, download, and share your health information online.
    “Blue Button” is a term that connotes easy, secure electronic access to your health data. Having access to this information can help you manage your care by having information you need to coordinate...
    Although your doctor may not want to offer you with a way to securely access your health record online, they are required by law to provide you with a way to view and get a copy of your medical...
    You don’t need Blue Button to get your health information but it’s one way that you can get access to it. When you get your health information, you can use it to: Better understand your health and...
    The Blue Button allows you to download your personal health information, including information like your emergency contact information, health history, important test results, medications, allergies...
    Your doctor is not required to offer Blue Button. However, there are financial incentives available from the federal government to encourage health care providers to adopt electronic health record...
    You are not required by law to use Blue Button. However, being able to “blue button” your health data and share that information with others you trust could be helpful in the event of an emergency...
    It depends if your health care provider, health plan (insurer), or other entity that manages your health data (e.g. pharmacy, lab, etc.) offers a way for you to get secure access to your health...
    The Blue Button enables you to securely access your personal health data online by clicking on a “Blue Button” logo or icon. You may have access to your claims and personal health information that...
  3. Blue Button - Information for Developers
    Maybe. Stage 2 of Meaningful Use requires that patients be given the capability to view, download and transmit their health data electronically. These requirements are fully aligned with the Blue...
    The Veterans Health Administration launched the Blue Button in August 2010 by adding it to VA’s MyHealtheVet patient portal. Veterans could use the Blue Button to download their health information in...
    We need experts to develop standards and pilot the technology, innovators to push the envelope, and patients and providers to test that it works. To join this initiative or to learn more, visit the...
    Yes. Stage 2 of Meaningful Use requires that patients be given the capability to view, download and transmit their health data electronically. These requirements are fully aligned with the Blue...
    The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Pledge Program was launched in September 2011 to catalyze and support organizations at the vanguard of empowering...
    The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Department of Veterans Affairs have teamed up to launch a new Standards & Interoperability Initiative to...
    No, but it used to be. Blue Button started as a simple-as-it-gets American Standard Code for Information Interchange text (ASCII) file. But that was only the start. As more organizations adopted the...
    We need experts to develop standards and pilot the technology, innovators to push the envelope, and patients and providers to test that it works. To join this initiative or to learn more, visit the...