Seniors Better Brush Up on Computers; Medicare to
Let Some Maintain Their Own Health Records
First seniors to try will be in CMS pilot program in
Arizona, Utah
Aug.
12, 2008 Senior citizens better get onboard the move to accessing
information electronically. They may soon have electronic access to all
their Medicare records and be asked to play a more active role in their
own health care management. The first seniors to get a shot will be
those in Arizona and Utah, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services will run a pilot program.
CMS last Friday announced the project to test
options for beneficiaries with Original Medicare to maintain their
health records electronically. Under this pilot in Arizona and Utah, a
beneficiary may choose one of the selected commercial personal health
record (PHR) tools, and Medicare will transfer up to two years of the
individuals claims data into the individuals PHR.
Medicares administrative contractor, Noridian
Administrative Services (NAS), released a solicitation to potential PHR
vendors last week. The program is scheduled to begin in January 2009 and
is expected to offer Medicare beneficiaries in the two states a choice
of several PHR options.
This exciting pilot will be a major step forward
for Medicare. We believe that it will provide information and tools
that will empower consumers to manage their health, said HHS Secretary
Mike Leavitt.
Importantly, we intend for the pilot to provide
beneficiaries with a choice of products that will make it possible for
beneficiaries to meet their individual needs.
CMS explains that PHRs are tools that can help
consumers manage their health and health care services. A PHR is a
record of health information that is under the control of the consumer
or patient.
Sometimes it only contains data entered by the
individual or his or her provider, but it can also include information
from a health plan as is the case in this pilot, where Medicare
provides health information from its claims data base.
A PHR is different than an electronic health record
(EHR), which is owned by and under the control of the physician.
Beneficiaries who select one of the participating
PHR vendors can also add other personal health information if they
choose, says CMS.
Depending on the specific product, they may be able
to authorize links to other personal electronic information such as
pharmacy data.
PHRs can offer links to tools that help consumers
manage their health such as wellness programs for tracking diet and
exercise, medical devices, health education information, and
applications to detect potential medication interactions.
Beneficiaries can elect to allow family members to
have access to their PHR. They can also provide access to the PHR to
their health care providers.
At Medicare, we strive to find innovative ways to
better serve our beneficiaries, said CMS Acting Administrator Kerry
Weems .
This pilot is designed to evaluate how well PHRs
meet the needs of our beneficiaries and whether PHRs can improve health
outcomes and lower costs.
The PHR vendors will have until September 8, 2008
to submit their applications to participate in this pilot with CMS. If
PHR vendors want more information about this pilot, they can visit
http://www.NoridianMedicare.com/phr/ or they can send an email to
solicitation@medicarephr.org.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Aug.
12, 2008 Senior citizens better get onboard the move to accessing
information electronically. They may soon have electronic access to all
their Medicare records and be asked to play a more active role in their
own health care management. The first seniors to get a shot will be
those in Arizona and Utah, where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services will run a pilot program.