What information will I get through Blue Button?
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 health information in their databases. Adding Blue Button could provide you with secure, electronic access to information such as lab results, medication and problem lists, allergies, appointment information and wellness reminders, all of which could make managing your health easier.
Your health care providers are likely to have clinical information about your visits, including diagnostic test results, problem lists, medication lists, medication allergies, discharge summaries (if you have been hospitalized), procedures and treatments, which could be accessible to you through the Blue Button.
From the MyHealtheVet site, veterans can use the Blue Button to download: Demographic information (age, gender, ethnicity and otherwise); Emergency contacts; Lists of prescription medication; and Wellness reminders.1
Medicare beneficiaries can view and download their claims data in a more timely and user-friendly format than ever before through the improvement of the Medicare Blue Button. And that information will now cover three years, instead of only one, and will include claims information on services covered under Parts A and B, and medicines that were purchased under the Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that administers the Medicare program plans to continue to expand the data available and improve the user experience over time. Greater access to their personal claim history will help to improve the quality of care provided to people with Medicare.
The Blue Button eventually will be capable of downloading electronic health record data from:
- Laboratories;
- Major pharmacies; and
- Physicians' offices.
