Many healthcare providers are not aware of a federal program that helps veterans consolidate their health data.
The survey, conducted from Oct. 31 to Dec. 8, 2014 by healthcare IT research nonprofit WEDI, included 274 providers, health plans, vendors and clearinghouses. The survey focused on awareness of the "Blue Button" program, a tool available for Department of Veterans Affairs patients to download their data and create a single electronic file with all their health information.
Respondents showed a trend toward increased reliance on integrated EHR and medical device data for care, particularly for government respondents. Rates of using integrated EHRs jumped from 60 percent to 100 percent for government workers, and medical device data rose from nearly zero percent in 2013 to 35 percent in 2014, according to a memo from WEDI to the HHS.
However, provider awareness of Blue Button seems to be stagnating. WEDI found that the number of providers with no awareness of the program increased from 32 percent in 2013 to 49 percent in 2014. Some of the increase may be attributed to more types of providers responding to the survey this year, increasing the base to draw from, but WEDI still noted that awareness is "an opportunity."
"WEDI will continue to monitor industry progress towards the implementation of the Blue Button initiative and offers our assistance to the Office of the National Coordinator on deepening industry awareness," WEDI chair Jean Narcisi wrote in the report. "WEDI appreciates the opportunity to work with your office to continue outreach efforts and to identify best approaches for achieving industry awareness."