Personal Health Record Tool to Aid Beneficiaries in South Carolina

On Wednesday, May 7, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a pilot project to allow Medicare beneficiaries access to personalized medical information. This should, if the project is successful, allow them to play a more active role in their health care choices.

The project involves a Personal Health Record tool, which is an on-line record of health information, controlled by the beneficiary. In this pilot, it contains data entered by the individual and by Medicare. When the beneficiary registers and request it, hospital and provider medical claims can be automatically entered into the Personal Health Record.

This offers the beneficiary a number of advantages. It allows them to look up information pertaining to their health conditions, supplies on-line links to relevant health topics, and gives them control over who sees the information in the Personal Health Record tool. It presents beneficiaries with the ability to see a more complete medical history, increases their access to research material (allowing them to better understand their own medical conditions and needs), and ultimately provides them with more support.

The project began on April 4 of this year, and should continue for 12 months. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will use the information gathered from this pilot project to help them make decisions regarding future Personal Health Records.