Blue Button competition: more serious innovation from Veterans Affairs

Craig Newmark | Craig Connects | July 28, 2011

Over the last two years or so, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been doing some seriously innovative work on behalf of the troops. I've seen this first hand, focusing on efforts like working at the grassroots worker level and with private industry vendors. This really does serve vets better, and looks like taxpayers get better return for tax dollars.

VA is also using social media to help vets understand how VA can help, in forms including the VA blog, and outreach via social media including Facebook.

They keep doing serious stuff, have just announced a competition to get the vets' Blue Button installed on doctors systems. The Blue Button works with a vet's health records, and the competition is about building personal health records and getting them installed in doctors' systems.