What is Blue Button?
The Blue Button represents a national movement that enables consumers to have easy access to their own health information in a format that they can use. The Blue Button logo signifies that a consumer can download a single electronic file that contains their available health data.
History of the Blue Button
The concept emerged in 2010, aimed at enabling more direct consumer access to personal health information by adding a ‘Download My Data’ button to patient portal systems. VA developed the Blue Button capability in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Department of Defense, along with the Markle Foundation's Consumer Engagement Workgroup. VA’s Blue Button feature was launched in August 2010. Since then, the Blue Button has spread beyond VA to other government agencies and the private sector. Responsibility for encouraging broader use of Blue Button and enhancing its technical standards was transferred to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2012. Learn more about the Blue Button Movement
VA Blue Button
The VA Blue Button feature of My HealtheVet makes it easy for Veterans to access and download a copy of their VA health records. Veterans can select the date range and type of information to include, and create a single electronic file that includes of all their available personal health information. Veterans who are VA patients and have a Premium My HealtheVet account can use the VA Blue Button feature to manage their health care as patients in VA medical facilities. This can include both self-entered information and data from the VA Electronic Health Record. The Blue Button feature allows Veterans to access and download their information into a very simple text file or PDF that can be read, printed, or saved on any computer.
What Data is Available?
The concept emerged in 2010, aimed at enabling more direct consumer access to personal health information by adding a ‘Download My Data’ button to patient portal systems. VA developed the Blue Button capability in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Department of Defense, along with the Markle Foundation's Consumer Engagement Workgroup. VA’s Blue Button feature was launched in August 2010. Since then, the Blue Button has spread beyond VA to other government agencies and the private sector. Responsibility for encouraging broader use of Blue Button and enhancing its technical standards was transferred to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2012.Self-entered data:
- Demographic Information
- Emergency Contact Information
- Health Care Providers
- Health Insurance
- Treatment Facilities
- Medical Conditions and Personal Medical History
- Medications, Herbals, and Supplements
- Allergies and Adverse Reactions
- Lab and Test Results
- Immunizations
- Vitals and Readings
- Family Health History (Self and Relatives)
- Military Health History
- Health Data (blood sugar, blood pressure, weight, etc.)
- My Goals: Current Goals and Completed Goals
Data from the VA Electronic Health Record:
- VA Admissions and Discharges
- VA Allergies
- VA Appointments (future)
- VA Appointments (past 2 years)
- VA Demographics
- VA Electrocardiogram (EKG) List of studies
- VA Immunizations
- VA Laboratory Results: Chemistry/Hematology/Microbiology
- VA Notes (from 01 Jan 2013 forward)
- VA Pathology Reports: Surgical Pathology, Cytology, Electron Microscopy
- VA Problem List
- VA Radiology Reports
- VA Vitals and Readings
- VA Wellness Reminders
Data from the Department of Defense:
- Military Service Information
VA Health Summary
The VA Health Summary is an interoperable Continuity of Care Document (CCD) that offers Veterans with a Premium My HealtheVet account a way to access, download, print or share a summary of important information from the VA medical record about their recent VA care with a non-VA community provider or health care system.What Data is Available?
See My HealtheVet VA Health Summary (CCDA) Data and Business Rules - October 2017
- Patient Information (Name, Date of Birth, Birth Sex, Race, Address, Marital Status, Race, Ethnicity)
- Support/Contact Information (Next of Kin and Emergency Contact information)
- Healthcare Providers
- Insurance Providers
- Allergies
- Problems
- Medications
- Advanced Directives (list)
- Immunizations
- Vital Signs
- Results (Lab Tests, Radiology Reports, Pathology Reports)
- Encounters (Outpatient Encounters and Associated Progress Notes, Consult Notes, History & Physical Notes, Discharge Summaries)
- Procedures (Surgical Procedures and Associated Procedure Notes, Clinical Procedure Notes)
- Plan of Care (Future Appointments, Future Lab Test Orders, Future Radiology Orders)
- Social History (Smoking Status)
- Functional Independence Measurements (FIM)
VA Sample Files
Collaboration with industry partners can enhance the value of blue button data by enabling applications and tools that can enhance the appearance and usefulness of the data. To support our industry partners we provide sample files.Blue Button Customized Report: txt file format
Blue Button Customized Report: pdf file format
VA Health Summary: pdf file format
