AHIMA announces support for Blue Button Initiative

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) announced on Monday that it will embark on a campaign to encourage its Component State Associations and members to actively support the Blue Button Initiative to promote access to personal health records (PHRs).

The announcement was made at AHIMA’s 85th Annual Convention and Exhibit in Atlanta.

The Blue Button is a national program that allows patients to view online and download their PHRs. Several U.S. government agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs, participate. The Blue Button program also has pledges of support from many stakeholders including providers, health plans and personal health record vendors.

Organizations and sites that use the Blue Button allow consumers to download their health data and create medical histories, which can then be shared with all their healthcare providers.