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  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) helps keep entities covered under HIPAA accountable for the privacy and security of patients’ health information. Although electronic...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    “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...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    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...
    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.
    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...
    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...
    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...
  3. Blue Button - Information for Developers
    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...
    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: www....
  4. Health IT and Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
    Adopting electronic health records (EHRs) will help health care providers build a sustainable medical practice. The next generation of health care professionals will expect and demand that their...
    An electronic health record (EHR) contains patient health information, such as: Medical history Diagnoses Medications Immunization dates Allergies Radiology images Lab and test...
    A patient portal is an internet application that allows patients to access their electronic health records and permits two-way communication between patients and their healthcare providers.
    With electronic prescribing, or e-prescribing, your doctor enters information about drugs you may need into a computer. This electronic prescription is sent over a secure network to the pharmacy you...
    A personal health record (PHR) is one tool that can be used to increase patient participation and improve families’ engagement with their care. PHRs are collections of information pertinent...
    An electronic medical record (EMR) is a digital version of the paper charts in a doctor’s office. They contain primarily the notes and information collected by and for the clinicians in that...
    By adopting electronic health records in a meaningful way, providers and hospitals can: See the whole picture. All of a patient's health information—medical history, diagnoses,...
    Health information technology (IT) is the use of computer hardware and software to privately and securely store, retrieve, and share patient health and medical information.
    Yes, there are two kinds of personal health records (PHRs): There are standalone PHRs where patients fill in the information from their own records and memories and the data is stored on...
    A personal health record, or PHR, is an electronic application through which patients can maintain and manage their health information (and that of others for whom they are authorized) in a private...
    There are many advantages of electronic health records. Electronic health records (EHRs) help health care providers better manage patient care by: Getting accurate and complete information about...
    An electronic health record (EHR) is more than just a computerized version of your paper chart. It’s a digital record of your health information that can provide your health care team with...
  5. Implementing EHRs
    Health IT and electronic health records (EHRs) can help you provide patients with access to their health information, improve care coordination, and provide higher quality and safer care for your...
    The Recovery Act allows for adjustments to the Medicare physician fee schedule for Medicare providers who do not adopt and successfully demonstrate meaningful use of a certified electronic health...
    If Medicare eligible professionals, or EPs, do not adopt and successfully demonstrate meaningful use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) technology by 2015, the EP’s Medicare...
    Regional Extension Centers (RECs) are located in every region of the country to help health care providers select, implement, and become adept and meaningful users of electronic health records (EHR...
  6. EHR System Certification
    The Certified HIT Product List (CHPL) provides the authoritative, comprehensive listing of Complete EHRs (electronic health records) and EHR Modules that have been tested and certified under the...
    Authorized by the National Coordinator, ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCBs) test and certify that certain types of electronic health record (EHR) technology (Complete EHRs...
    Certification of health IT assures purchasers and other users that an electronic health record (EHR) system, or other relevant technology, offers the technological capability, functionality, and...
  7. Health Information Exchange
    As of May 26, 2011, all state strategic and operational plans were approved; read state plans at http://statehieresources.org/state-plans/.
    Health information exchanges (HIEs) facilitate the secure exchange of health information within and across states. Sharing information in this way is one of the requirements of meaningful use. The...
  8. Health IT Workforce and Training
    The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONC's) Community College Consortia Program established non-degree health IT training programs at 82 member colleges...
    For information on health information technology (IT) careers, see the following top five resources. The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) developed a health (IT jobs board...
    Contact one of the 82 member community colleges across the country about distance learning opportunities for health IT training programs. For more information, visit the Community College...
  9. General Questions About Health Information Technology
    You will find a list of ONC job opportunities on the “Contact Us” page of our website. Other positions within the federal government can be found at www.USAJobs.gov.
    We regret that we cannot respond individual requests for interviews with ONC staff to help with school projects and papers. Please review the ONC website for more information on ONC initiatives...
    To receive updates from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) on health IT activities: Sign up for Email Updates from ONC Follow us on Twitter...
    If you know exactly who you want to reach, refer to the HHS Directory for a personnel list.
  10. Health Information Privacy and Security
    Ask your doctor or other health care providers for access to your health information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule gives you, with few exceptions, the...
    Covered entities must protect the privacy of individuals’ health records. “Covered entities” include most health plans, most health care providers, and health care clearinghouses...
    If you believe that a covered entity or business associate violated your health information privacy rights or committed another violation of the The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability...
    The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule sets rules and limits on who can look at and receive your protected health information, or information that relates...
    The The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule requires specific measures to safeguard your electronic protected health information to ensure its confidentiality...
    The following entities must follow The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. The law refers to these as “covered entities”: Health plans Most...
    More and more people are using personal health records (PHRs) to manage their health information and become full partners in the quest for good health. PHRs are different from electronic health...
    The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule gives you, with few exceptions, the right to inspect, review, and receive a copy of your medical records and billing...
    The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) protects: Information your doctors, nurses, and other health care providers put in your medical record...

Most Popular Questions

Ask your doctor or other health care providers for access to your health information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule gives you, with few exceptions, the...
Adopting electronic health records (EHRs) will help health care providers build a sustainable medical practice. The next generation of health care professionals will expect and demand that their...
An electronic health record (EHR) contains patient health information, such as: Medical history Diagnoses Medications Immunization dates Allergies Radiology images Lab and test...
Health IT and electronic health records (EHRs) can help you provide patients with access to their health information, improve care coordination, and provide higher quality and safer care for your...
A patient portal is an internet application that allows patients to access their electronic health records and permits two-way communication between patients and their healthcare providers.