The Markle Foundation (New York, N.Y.) and the Princeton, N.J.-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio today recognized a set of innovations that convert simple health data downloads into useful tools to help U.S. veterans improve their health.
The foundations sponsored the Blue Button Developer Challenge to stimulate innovation and encourage doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, insurers, and personal health information services to let their customers securely download their medical information at the click of a blue button.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicare have led the way by preparing to offer a blue button on their password-protected online portals to give veterans and beneficiaries the option of downloading copies of their medical or claims information.
Adobe’s Blue Button Health Assistant received the top prize from a distinguished panel of judges: Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist.org; Steve Findlay, MPH, Senior Health Policy Analyst, Consumers Union; James Ralston, MD, MPH, Associate Investigator, Group Health Research Institute, and Steve Downs of RWJF.
The foundations and the judges recognized the other finalists: Microsoft, MedCommons, and RememberItNow!
