Report 1 of 2: The plan should include: 1. The date/time of your event. 2. The location of your event. 3. The name of the group you will be presenting to. 4. Contact information (name/email/phone

Blue Button is a symbol letting consumers know they can get their health information electronically.

Blue Button originated at the Veteran’s Administration (VA). Since then, it has spread beyond the VA to other government agencies and the private sector. In 2012, responsibility for encouraging broader use of Blue Button was transferred to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), part of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Look for the Blue Button logo Healthcare organizations that pledge to the ideals of the Blue Button will display the Blue Button logo as a symbol indicating that a consumer can easily access their health records from their sites. Blue Button is not a product, nor is it a national database.

Get Involved This year, many AHIMA CSAs have signed the Blue Button pledge (healthit.gov/patients-families/pledge-info) and placed the logo on their CSA websites. CSA leaders have been asked to support the initiative on behalf of the CSA and its members. AHIMA encourages each CSA take the following actions within their states:

• Commit as an association and take the ONC’s Blue Button pledge (healthit.gov/patients-families/pledge-info) • Place links on the respective CSA website to both the AHIMA myPHR pages (myphr.com), and to the ONC’s Blue Button Pledge (healthit.gov/patients-families/pledge-info), and • Encourage CSA members to get involved and enlist their employers in taking the Blue Button Pledge with the help of a promotional Blue Button Toolkit, developed by AHIMA, which includes website banner ads, sample Tweets and blogs, an employer letter, and a sample CSA newsletter template. AHIMA will also participate in an ONC public service campaign for the Blue Button Initiative (BBI) set for September 15 through October 6, 2014. As part of this effort, myPHR.com will host a series of public service videos to create increased awareness for the BBI campaign. To learn more about Blue Button, please visit: healthit.gov/bluebutton AHIMA and Consumer Engagement AHIMA is involved in multiple initiatives supporting consumer engagement and the public good: THE BLUE BUTTON MOVEMENT “ Blue Button is more than a rallying cry for encouraging patients and their families to employ better health information and tools. Blue Button is a movement.” I TOOK THE PLEDGE MYPHR.COM The Personal Health Record (PHR) is a tool that you can use to collect, track and share past and current information about your health or the health of someone in your care. Your PHR can give medical care providers more insight into your personal health story. Visit AHIMA’s PHR website, myphr.com, to learn more about owning your health information. Here you will find information on how to create a PHR, resources on health literacy, and helpful links, such as PHR news stories, a PHR video library, and a medical identity theft response checklist. There are also useful blogs and an FAQ section. Blue Button resources can also be found on this site. There are also tips for caregivers and how to prepare for a doctor visit. AHIMA is forming alliances with partners who already have a consumer audience, in order to engage with consumers and share useful information surrounding their personal health information. One of these partnerships is sharecare.com, a health and wellness website that helps people live healthier lives by connecting them to information from experts, clinical decision support tools, and interactive programs. Sharecare is an interactive question-and-answer platform that allows industry experts to answer consumers’ health and wellness questions.

AHIMA has become a contributing organization to sharecare and now has a group profile page. Follow AHIMA’s blog posts; get questions answered; and discover useful links to improve your health through management of personal health information. To visit AHIMA’s sharecare page, please select this link: sharecare.com/group/ahima.

AHIMA IS NOW ON SHARECARE.COM AHIMA is looking to consumer health information experts inside and outside our membership to expand the resources for consumers available through AHIMA’s myPHR website (myphr.com), sharecare, social media sites, and other consumer platforms. If you have ideas for engaging consumers with their health information, please do not hesitate to share them with us by e-mailing [email protected].