Pilot program to evaluate PHR options

WASHINGTON – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a pilot program, set to begin in January in Arizona and Utah, to test different personal health record options for Medicare beneficiaries, aiming to encourage consumers to use PHRs.
As part of the project, seniors will be given a choice of selected commercial PHR tools, and Medicare will transfer up to two years of each person’s claims data into the person’s PHR.
A solicitation to potential vendors was issued Aug. 8.
“This exciting pilot will be a major step forward for Medicare. We believe that it will provide information and tools that will empower consumers to manage their health,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt in a news release. “Importantly, we intend for the pilot to provide beneficiaries with a choice of products that will make it possible for beneficiaries to meet their individual needs.”
PHRs are health records that are controlled by consumers. Some include only data entered by patients and/or their doctors; others also include information from a health plan, as with this pilot, in which Medicare would provide data.
CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems said the goal of the pilot is to “evaluate how well PHRs meet the needs of our beneficiaries and whether PHRs can improve health outcomes and lower costs.”