Government Presses for Blue Button Mobile App

The Obama administration has issued a presidential directive mandating that each federal agency make at least two government services available to the public via mobile applications within a year. President Obama also announced the intent to expand the Veterans Affairs Department’s Blue Button Program, which would allow patients the ability to receive text-based downloads of their medical records.

The goal of Blue Button is to develop tools that will help individuals utilize their own health records – current medications and drug allergies, claims and treatment data, and lab reports – to improve their health and healthcare, according to a Presidential Innovation Fellows Web site discussing the project. Blue Button’s download capability offers individuals better access to their information so they can more effectively participate in and manage their health, according to BlueButton.org...