Empowering consumers and clinicians with readily available health information will be an integral component of transforming our healthcare system. Many industry stakeholders consider the effective use of health information technology to be critical to improving healthcare quality and efficiency, decreasing cost and increasing access to care.
The Personal Health Record (PHR), in particular, is an important technology for consumer engagement and a key tool to enhance care coordination and improve patients' ability to make more informed health decisions.
With the healthcare industry continuing to face challenges related to rising costs, lack of access to care and providing the right care at the right time, BCBSA, in collaboration with the American College of Physicians, the American Osteopathic Association of Medical Informatics, and the Medical Group Management Association, believe it is essential to educate consumers and the clinicians on the value of personal health records. This PHR Quick Reference Guide is one effort to help insure that consumers and their clinicians understand the value of PHRs in better managing healthcare.
For your convenience, two versions of the guide are available: one for consumers and one for clinicians.
Resources
For more information about PHRs, you also may wish to visit these sites:
- The US Department of Health and Human Services PHR website for people with Medicare
- Information from the AHIMA Foundation on PHRs and how to choose and start a PHR
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality "Creating a Personal Health Record" video
