Varying healthcare organizations including the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and the American Heart Association (AHA) are teaming up to provide consumers with a guide to using personal health records (PHR). The organizations are creating informational brochures to help promote the understanding and use of PHRs among consumers and clinicians.
The new brochures: "Your Personal Health Record," and "A Clinician Guide to a Personal Health Record," will be available online at BCBS.com. Other involved organizations include the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), the American Cancer Society (ACS), the American College of Physicians (ACP), the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American Osteopathic Association of Medical Informatics (AOAMI), and MGMA-ACMPE.
The brochures, which include screenshots of PHRs, user testimonials, and an informative Q&A, were created through a collaboration of healthcare groups The organizations say when more healthcare data is available to consumers, their caregivers and doctors, it can help improve the coordination of care. They attempt to show consumers how they can use PHRs to store vital health information such as medical conditions, allergies, medications, and doctor or hospital visits in one convenient and secure place. For clinicians, the brochures describe the benefits of using PHRs to help them deliver quality care to their patients and make their practices run more efficiently.
The organizations say the brochures were designed to help improve consumers' familiarity and comfort level with PHR tools and encourage more participation and adoption. The brochures are available at: www.bcbs.com/phr_brochure.
