Computerworld - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced a new online feature that allows active duty and retired service members to access their electronic health records (EHRs) with the click of a mouse.
The VA's Veterans Affairs Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) is arguably the most advanced EHR system in existence. It has more subscribers than any commercial EHR deployments and serves as a model by many vendors model for their products.
The VA's "Blue Button" Web Portal gives veterans direct access to the agency's MyHealtheVet personal health record on any computer, including mobile devices.
The application, also known formally as VA-214, was developed by Northrup Grumman for the VA. It is currently available on both Apple's iOS and Google's Android platform. The app allows veterans to view their personal information and medications at the touch of a button.
Blue Button capability, which can be downloaded here, allows VA patients to not only download but automatically share their healthcare records with medical providers.
"Following the innovation lead of the VA's chief technology officer Peter Levin, the development of this application for secure, reliable and portable personal health records supports the administration's goal of promoting greater use of health information technology," Amy King, vice president of health IT programs for Northrop Grumman, said in a statement.
Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at 
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Read more about Healthcare IT in Computerworld's Healthcare IT Topic Center.
It's 2020. The at-home telemedicine robot reminds me it's time for the doctor to check how well the burn on my arm is healing. The specialist is in a clinic located more than 45 miles away, but she thoroughly examines my arm through a wound assessment device built into the robot. After the consultation, my smart band reminds me that the mobile health vehicle will be at my workplace, and I should stop by to get my flu shot. I quickly acknowledge my medication reminder alert, take my meds, and then hop into my driverless smart car.
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