When the record is pushed over, the physician has the same user-friendly display on one screen on his iPad of the Blue Button record re-formatted with all the codes translated. 

Physicians can use the Direct protocol to exchange records, and that means it can be a Blue Button record. The patient, who can have direct access to a Blue Button record through a mobile app, such as iBlueButton, can securely download that record onto a mobile device to review and then be in the position to present and transmit the information to a provider right there.

On the patient side, not only is the Blue Button re-formatted, but we add contextual data with it so the record is actionable. The patient can review the list of meds, for instance, through Medline Plus, to look for explanation of potential side effects and if selected can be pushed to the record viewed by his physician. And when the record is pushed to the physician’s iPad, a warning can come with the medication name to open the alert and determine if the patient has experienced potential side effects. We also do medication reconciliation with these apps.

The patient can mark if he or she is taking the medication, and when the patient is no longer taking the medication the physician can receive alerts.

Q What functionality have you now addied to iBlue Button?

A: iBlueButton is a mobile health information hub that the patient carries and can do device-to-device transmission at the point of care. But it’s a two way communication. The physician at the point of care can use the same app and push a health summary to the patient right there and push back some patient instructions, images and x-rays.

When you use iBlueButton, on the consumer side, you could accept a series of Blue Button enabled portals, such as MyMedicare.gov, MyHealtheVet, Aetna, Tricare Online and RelayHealth. By adding other Blue Button portals to the hub, consumers will be able to pick from upcoming Blue Button enabled portals by Aetna, some Blue plans and large health plans. I choose the portal or portals that apply to me. I can be a veteran and access my records from MyHealtheVet but also [may be covered by a] commercial plan, so I may have a use case to access more than one Blue Button portal through my iBlueButton. But there will also be the ability to access multiple accounts for a single app user, such as when caring for elderly parents.

None of what we do is on the Humetrix server. Everything — all of the code translation, reformatting — is all done on board the app. We don’t have to run a server and expose personal health information to privacy risk. It is all under the user’s control.

Q: Do you see meaningful use generating other new markets, the way BlueButton has?

Experton: Absolutely. This combination of national policy and mobile technology is revolutionizing health care. I think the consumer is driving that revolution. Meaningful use stage 1 was about establishing an EHR infrastructure; meaningful use stage 2 is about exchange.