Access to the Medical Record
Authors: Donna M. Zulman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

Letters1 May 2012Access to the Medical RecordDonna M. Zulman, MD, MS, Kim M. Nazi, MA, Steven M. Asch, MD, MPH, and Todd H. Wagner, PhDDonna M. Zulman, MD, MSFrom Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025; Veterans and Consumers Health Informatics Office, Albany, NY 12208; and Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025., Kim M. Nazi, MAFrom Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025; Veterans and Consumers Health Informatics Office, Albany, NY 12208; and Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025., Steven M. Asch, MD, MPHFrom Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025; Veterans and Consumers Health Informatics Office, Albany, NY 12208; and Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025., and Todd H. Wagner, PhDFrom Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025; Veterans and Consumers Health Informatics Office, Albany, NY 12208; and Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-156-9-201205010-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:In their editorial (1) on our article (2), Feeley and Shine pose questions to consider as health systems enable patients to access and share their electronic health records. The issues that they raise are relevant and timely, and data emerging from the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system provide some initial answers.Patients in the VA health system are embracing opportunities to take ownership of their medical records. In August 2010, President Obama announced the creation of a new "Blue Button" feature on the VA's personal health record, My HealtheVet (3). The Blue Button enables patients to ...References1. Feeley TW, Shine KI. Access to the medical record for patients and involved providers: transparency through electronic tools [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:853-4. [PMID: 22184694] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Zulman DM, Nazi KM, Turvey CL, Wagner TH, Woods SS, An LC. Patient interest in sharing personal health record information: a web-based survey. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:805-10. [PMID: 22184687] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Chopra A, Park T, Levin PL. 'Blue button' provides access to downloadable personal health data. Office of Science and Technology Policy. 7 October 2010. Accessed at www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/10/07/blue-button-provides-access-downloadable-personal-health-data on 12 December 2011. Google Scholar4. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. 2001 National Survey of Veterans. Accessed at www.virec.research.va.gov/DataSourcesName/NationalSurveyVeterans/2001NationalSurveyofVeterans.htm on 16 December 2011. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Donna M. Zulman, MD, MS; Kim M. Nazi, MA; Steven M. Asch, MD, MPH; Todd H. Wagner, PhDAffiliations: From Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025; Veterans and Consumers Health Informatics Office, Albany, NY 12208; and Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA 94025.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M11-1221. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAccess to the Medical Record for Patients and Involved Providers: Transparency Through Electronic Tools Thomas W. Feeley and Kenneth I. Shine Patient Interest in Sharing Personal Health Record Information Donna M. Zulman , Kim M. Nazi , Carolyn L. Turvey , Todd H. Wagner , Susan S. Woods , and Larry C. An Metrics Cited byEngaging patients through open notes: an evaluation using mixed methodsMeaningful Use and the Patient Portal 1 May 2012Volume 156, Issue 9Page: 668KeywordsCaregiversConflicts of interestDisclosureElectronic medical recordsHealth careHealth information technologyHealth surveysMotivationVeteran care ePublished: 1 May 2012 Issue Published: 1 May 2012 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2012 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...