Introduction
This is an outline of available health information technologies (Health IT) and accessible health information sources for patient access, management, and use of their personal health records (PHR).
Available Health IT technologies
The health information technologies that patients may use include:
- health information platforms (HealthVault, apps)
- personal health records (HealthVault, PHR, apps)
- internet websites and patient portals
- electronic health/medical health records (EHR/EMR/MHR)
- Blue Button
- CCR/CCD – Continuity of Care Records and Documents
- computers and mobile devices
- programs, browsers, and apps
Accessing Health Information from Available Sources
Patients’ health information may be available and accessed–manually, but increasingly and preferably, electronically–from various sources (using…), including:
- federal organizations (websites, patient portals, Blue Button)
- Medicare (website, Blue Button)
- myHealtheVet (website, patient portal, Blue Button)
– Department of Veterans Affairs - TriCare Online (website, patient portal, Blue Button)
– Department of Defense
- private health insurers (websites, patient portals, Blue Button, CCR/CCD), e.g.,
- BlueCross/BlueShield
- Federal Employee Program (website, patient portal, Blue Button, CCR)
- BlueCross/BlueShield
- hospitals, clinics, group practices (patient portals, CCR/CCD), e.g.,
- Kaiser Permanente (website, patient portal, app, innovation)
- Mayo Clinic (website, patient portal, app)
- individual healthcare providers (websites, mobile device apps)
- labs (websites, HealthVault apps), e.g.,
- LabCorp Beacon (website, app)
- pharmacies (websites, patient portals), e.g.,
- personal medical apps and devices (programs, apps), e.g.,
- personal records and files (paper, computer files, mobile device apps), e.g.,
- lab report printouts
- discharge orders
- prescription information
- health diaries
