My HealtheVet, the VA online personal health record program, recently launched a new feature to help Veterans manage their health care.
With the VA “Blue Button®”, veterans can view, print, and download their My HealtheVet personal health information and save it to a computer or external device to be shared with their health care teams, caregivers or others.
“With the VA Blue Button, Veterans can partner with their health care teams by becoming more involved,” Deann Arneson, VA Black Hills Health Care System (BHHCS) My HealtheVet Coordinator said.
“They can become more knowledgeable about their health and become more active participants in the decision-making process.”
Veterans and family members are encouraged to sign up for My HealtheVet at www.myhealth.va.gov. Veterans who are VA patients should come to VA BHHCS to get In-Person Authenticated or “IPA’d” to get the most out of My HealtheVet – it’s quick and easy.
Using the Blue Button feature is easy with only a computer with Internet access needed. Veterans who are registered users of My HealtheVet can log on to the website and select the Blue Button, while those who’ve also completed the In-Person Authentication process have access to their VA prescription history and VA Wellness Reminders.
Arneson says the goal of My HealtheVet’s is to promote health and wellness, and to engage veterans to be more active participants in their overall health care The My HealtheVet portal allows them to create and maintain a web-based personal health record, and provides access to health education information and resources, comprehensive personal health journals, and electronic services.
While encouraging all veterans to take advantage of the program, Arneson also says it’s important for them to safeguard their information because they are responsible for protecting any of their personal health information that they print out or download. He says to treat the My HealtheVet information the same way they protect banking or credit card information.”
For more information about the Blue Button and the many features of My HealtheVet, contact Deann Arneson at (605) 745.2000, extension 2060 or at [email protected]. Veterans are reminded not to send any personal information when communicating via email.